


Broken Wings

by Evie_adams273



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Apart from the humans, Betrayal, Casual, Chaos, Everyone is a fairie, Fairies, Fairy Children, Fantasy AU, Fighting, Flashbacks, Gay, Gen, Holidays, Invasion, M/M, Murder, Neighbouring kingdoms, Original Characters - Freeform, Overworked fairies, Scorbus breaking traditions, Scorbus is engaged, Scorbus is together, Unnecessary death, War, Wings, fae, royal family, several plots, they're evil, very gay, warnings for violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24004507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evie_adams273/pseuds/Evie_adams273
Summary: When Amberfall falls prey to a violent human invasion, it appears that James, Albus and Lily have lost their most valuable allies within the city, but that isn't something that's going to stop them trying to fight for their home. Between them, using the immense luck that caused them to be out of the city when the attack took place, they try their best to free their people.
Relationships: Delphi & Albus Severus Potter, Delphi & Original Female Characters, Delphi & Scorpius Malfoy & Albus Severus Potter, Draco Malfoy & Scorpius Malfoy, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Scorpius Malfoy & Albus Severus Potter & James Sirius Potter & Lily Luna Potter, Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a new multi-chapter I started after Christmas upon getting obsessed with fairies. Hit a block and stopped but have picked it up again and here we are. I really hope you enjoy.
> 
> Trigger warning: mentions of blood - very minor

It was only a matter of time before the ceiling collapsed. While Delphi knew the guards were not stupid enough to attempt to let it do so, the humans seemed to have very little sense of preservation. They seemed to think that everything could be rebuilt and redone. And, from what Delphi knew, they never actually fixed anything. Their entire world seemed to be built on a crumbling structure held entirely by those in power. Still, she couldn’t dwell on that.

She dodged a piece of falling debris, wrapping her wings around herself instinctively and trying to ignore the noise. The attack was getting closer. The Fae had never stood a chance of winning and now it was nearly over. When the humans reached the throne room, where she currently stood, they would have won. It was something strangely symbolic.

Delphi tried to push a little bit of heat through her hands, melting the wax so that she could use it to seal a letter she held. Despite the fighting, she liked to do things formally. And she had never been particularly good with a sword anyway. Well, not in close quarters. According to her family, she was a formidable aerial fighter, but the fairie who had designed the palace had apparently forgotten they had wings, meaning that the ceilings were too low to fly.

Once the wax had been melted, poured, shaped, and dried, Delphi picked up the letter and pressed a kiss to it. The addressees would never know. Maybe they wouldn’t believe her. But no matter what changed between them, she still loved them. She still loved her family. She loved her family with everything she had.

But there was something else she loved more, according to the world, and it was time to pursue that.

She pocketed the letter, walking towards the thrones on the other side of the room. They were never used, but they would be soon. Not by her, but she felt that she deserved at least some time in them. After all, she wouldn’t be given much credit by the man about to arrive.

She sat down on Ginny’s throne, smiling to herself. She had barely had a moment to herself when the door burst open, and she rolled her eyes as a guard burst in, his wings covered in dust and debris. And a bit of blood. Delphi assumed it wasn’t his blood.

“Your highness,” he panted. “We have to leave, now. The humans have taken the majority of the castle and the city. If we leave now, we can get out.”

“You have to leave now,” Delphi stood up again, pulling the letter out of her pocket. “Take this to the heir of this kingdom.”

“I’m bound to protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting. They do. And you do. So run. And give them this.”

“They will kill you.”

Delphi laughed, throwing her head back. She pulled the few remaining pins from her hair, dropping them and raking her fingers through the strands to allow it to flow down her back. It wasn’t entirely effective, and it hurt from having been tightly wound around her head, but that was what having it in such an unpleasant hairstyle did. She grinned at the guard.

“They won’t kill me,” she said. “Why would they kill the innocent female who let them in?”

The guard stumbled back. “You? You let them in?”

“Take the letter. Get out of here. And I won’t tell them about your desertion.”

Delphi watched as a thousand thoughts crossed the guard’s face, and then he turned on his heel, shooting up to the skylight. Delphi smiled. That skylight was impossible to reach unless you had wings. She was somewhat surprised that more fairies hadn’t tried to escape through it, but that was what blind panic did.

She sat back in the chair, flaring her wings to mirror the image behind her.

When humanity arrived, she wanted them to remember that she wasn’t just a servant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Delphi in this fic is something truly iconic that's all I'm saying.  
> Thanks for reading.  
> Kudos and comments much appreciated  
> Twitter: @evie_adams273


	2. Several Years Of Trust

“Hey, Albus,” James walked into the kitchen and grinned at his brother and brother’s fiancé. “You do know we’re not stupid, don’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Albus glanced up from his breakfast with a slight smile on his face. “We’re just holding hands.”

“You’re engaged,” James rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you don’t have to sleep in the same bed yet. You know? Tradition and all that.”

Albus was about to playfully retort something about the fact that James didn’t care about tradition in any sense, when Scorpius giggled, and Albus lost all edge that he’d had. It was true that they had slept in the same bed, but nothing had actually happened. There just hadn’t been enough beds to go around. He hoped. They hadn’t actually checked.

It was also true that he was engaged to the love of his life. They had been engaged for several months now, and the wedding was another four months away. Their falling in love had been a somewhat cliched affair, but that didn’t matter. A formal visit from the new king of a neighbouring land had allowed the two to meet, and spend quite a lot of time together.

Albus’ cousin, or adopted cousin, had caused diversions a couple of times, allowing them to escape into the grounds for some quiet time, though no one knew it had been her. Supposedly, she was too much of a goody-two-shoes.

Albus was infinitely grateful for Delphi, and, though she hadn’t been in his life for longer than he could remember, she may as well have been. She was always there to help him, to try and give him advice. She had been the one to point out that he should actually tell Scorpius how he felt, and when he had, on the fifth royal visit, they had ended up kissing behind the stables. And Albus couldn’t have asked for a better first kiss.

Eventually, they had told someone other than Delphi, and now that Scorpius was old enough and trusted, he had started to travelling to the kingdom – Amberfall – on his own, simply to see Albus. Often, when they needed an envoy sent to Scorpius’ kingdom – Bayscar – they started to send Albus, and he always managed to find at least one day to spend privately with Scorpius.

Albus had proposed after five years of these visits. He’d proposed when they were alone, because he knew that Scorpius preferred not to have the chaos of a hundred fairies watching. It had been the most wonderful evening of Albus’ life, and he hoped it would only be topped by their wedding. Sadly, that couldn’t be as quiet an affair, but they had still planned to be small, compared to the average size of royal weddings.

“Love,” Scorpius whispered, and Albus jumped slightly, before pressing a soft kiss to Scorpius’ cheek. “You were thinking about us.”

“I most certainly was,” Albus smiled. “And about how beautiful you are.”

“Oi, lovebirds,” James clicked his fingers in front of them. “Tradition?”

“Surely tradition would state that you should have found a partner by now, James?” Scorpius grinned slyly. “Heir to the kingdom and almost a hundred years old?”

“Fine. Fuck tradition.”

Albus laughed loudly, wrapping his arms around Scorpius as Lily walked in, rolling her eyes at all of them. She had worryingly large bags under her eyes and seemed to be making a beeline for the coffee. 

“What have you done now?” she said as she walked. “You do know we actually have stuff to do today.”

“We don’t,” James beckoned her over. “This holiday is purely for relaxation purposes.”

“No,” Lily stopped. “No. Delphi said there was something else to do. She keeps asking me to help her with stuff.”

“And then she felt bad and asked us to take you on holiday,” Albus smiled. “Just a short one. She said you wouldn’t come unless you thought it was work-related.”

“There’s so much I’ve got to do–”

“Delphi can cope,” James interrupted calmly. “She said as much. She apologised for heaping so much on you, and said she’d cover your things for this time as well.”

Lily breathed out slowly, and Albus smiled at her, rolling his eyes as James pulled her into a hug, wrapping his wings around her. She loved those the most. All four of them did. The softness of the wings, whether they felt feathery, furry, or something else entirely, felt like home.

Delphi wings, in particular, were a thing of wonder. Hers were different to every other person that Albus knew, and he knew the explanation, though almost no one else did.

Delphi’s wings were reminiscent of a butterfly, in that they were layered. The top halves were darker in colour, and Delphi had said that they had once been completely black. The colour faded to a crimson lower down, and her wings were made of feathers. When she hugged Albus, it tickled, but he loved it.

Delphi’s wings were different, and Delphi herself was different, because of her family. To Albus, she was a distant cousin, her mother being Fae. However, as only a few others knew, her father had been human. Or was still. Albus didn’t know a lot about human lifespans.

She had arrived when she was still quite young, in Fae terms, seeking refuge, and her mother had died soon after. So she had stayed.

And now, Albus could see little reason why she would leave the family. She left the palace occasionally – a few months previously, she had been gone for about six weeks, searching for something she refused to speak about. Albus hadn’t pried. He had known it wouldn’t help.

The bond he had with Delphi felt, at times, like an odd one. He was as close to her as he was to either of his siblings, and closer to her than either of his parents. She tended to keep herself to herself much of the time, and she wasn’t exactly anyone’s favourite in terms of public approval, but she was smart and cunning and kind and capable.

“So,” Lily said. “We have a holiday?”

“We certainly do.”

Albus looked up as Scorpius tensed beside him. A letter had appeared on the table in front of them, stamped with a foreign seal. Albus recognised the method of delivery, however. Whenever the kingdom needed to send messages to every citizen, they sent these broadcast-type things. Letters that appeared in every household, to every fairie. But the unknown seal gave cause for concern.

James moved first, untying the letter, and opening it. His eyes moved quickly as he skimmed it, his expression growing more grim with every passing second.

“Jamie?”

“Someone make this place invisible,” James snapped, as if unfreezing. “Someone, go. Now!”

Scorpius ran out the room, and Albus heard the front door open and shut a moment later. Scorpius stood outside the window, waving his hands and constantly muttering to himself. Despite the fact that Albus knew the situation was severe, he couldn’t help but smile slightly. Scorpius’ magic was warm and kind and Albus could feel it diffusing through the walls. It always had this effect on him. Someone had once told him they were soulmates based off that reaction.

When Scorpius got back inside, James had pulled out several maps from the lounge, and he had circled a few locations.

“James,” Albus said. “James, what’s going on?”

“The kingdom has fallen to a human invasion,” James muttered. 

“What?”

“The kingdom has fallen and we have to go back.”

“We have to hide,” Lily said. “If the kingdom has fallen, we need to hide.”

“And we are. And we’re going to plan how to get back.”

“We’re four fairies with varying magical abilities,” Scorpius said. “If we charge in madly, we’re all going to die.”

“Then we plan.”

Albus didn’t say anything. James rarely sounded as angry as he did now. And there was rarely fear mixed into his voice. James was one of the bravest fairies Albus knew. But he was scared. 

“Is there any information about what happened?” Albus asked quietly.

“Mum and dad have been imprisoned. At least half the guards are dead. Several citizens have also been killed.”

Albus almost gagged. At least half the guards. Innocent fairies as well. All dead. Because of humans.

He didn’t like to hold prejudices and hatred, because he knew that was where problems came from, but he couldn’t hold back the emotion now. How was he supposed to? He knew almost all the guards by name. He was friends with the majority of them. How many of his friends were dead? How many fairies were dead?

Unnecessarily. Because apparently humans couldn’t be content with what they already had. They had to have more. Make things bigger. Take everything. Even at the price of this much death.

“Was there anything else?” Albus asked, almost dreading the answer.

They hadn’t mentioned Delphi. If Delphi had been killed…Albus couldn’t even consider that possibility. Delphi couldn’t be dead. No matter what, Delphi couldn’t be dead. 

“Yes,” James nodded, a look like death appearing in his eyes. “Delphi let them in.”

Albus felt his stomach drop through the floor. Delphi, _Delphi_ had let them in. No. No. That couldn’t be right. There had to be something else at play. Delphi couldn’t have betrayed them.

She wasn’t the sort of fairie to do that. She had never lied to anyone. She was almost problematically honest. It was not a possibility that she had betrayed them. It couldn’t be a possibility.

Albus stumbled backwards a little, letting go of Scorpius’ hand. He walked away, pulling the front door open and slipping out into the cold. He didn’t care that he couldn’t go further than a few feet from the house. That didn’t matter. He flared his wings, feeling the energy bursting through the muscles on his back, and flapped a few times.

They carried him up to the roof, where he settled in one of the window alcove, wondering whether it was viable for him to scream. Scorpius always concealed things well. It was probably safe. And the place was deserted anyway.

So he screamed.

He drove his nails into the palms of his hands, trying to focus the pain into channelling his anger. No. Not anger. Fear.

He wasn’t angry with Delphi. He couldn’t be angry with Delphi when he couldn’t believe that she had actually betrayed them. Something else was going on. Something else had to be going on. Which scared Albus because it meant that Delphi was in danger. Delphi was playing with fire. And it didn’t matter that Delphi always played with fire. It never got less dangerous.

Something else had to be at play. Some secret she had kept. Something that would change everything that she couldn’t talk about. Albus had no idea what. And if he didn’t know what, James wouldn’t even try to listen. It wasn’t that James struggled to realise he was wrong, but Albus had never seen him so angry.

James had been older when Delphi had arrived. Not that old, not older than her, but old enough to be a little unsure about another person moving into his family. Nothing had ever happened, and James had grown to love her as much as the rest of them, but Albus was aware that their relationship had always been more tenuous.

And now it was gone.

Albus wrapped his wings around himself, trying to remember to breathe. If he calmed down, he could think clearly, work out what had happened, and go back inside with a reasoned addition to whatever plan James was trying to put in place. He only hoped that, at the moment, Scorpius was putting in that reason. If James were left to his own devices, they would all die.

He liked wrapping his wings around himself. It always got a little darker and warmer, like a blanket. Two fairies’ wings wrapped around one another was nothing short of pure magic. The first night Albus and Scorpius had spent wrapped in one another’s wings had been comfort and fearlessness and home. Of course, no one else had known. They weren’t supposed to sleep in the same room until they were married, though it wasn’t exactly like they’d get in any trouble for breaking tradition. Everyone had long since agreed that sort of thing was outdated.

Albus jumped slightly as another fairie settled beside him, placing a hand on the leg he had not brought inside his wing-den. He opened his wings to see Lily sat beside him, staring out over the clifftop.

“I’m sorry, Albus,” Lily murmured. 

“It wasn’t Delphi,” Albus snapped the words almost instinctively. “This isn’t Delphi’s fault.”

“I know it’s hard–”

“Delphi wouldn’t betray us. Whatever is going on, it’s not Delphi’s fault.”

Lily didn’t respond, and Albus didn’t blame her. There wasn’t a response to what he had said. Even he didn’t have one. They couldn’t investigate what had happened without going back. They couldn’t go back until they had a coherent plan, something that involved knowing what was going on and who they would be fighting.

But they had to find out somehow.

Albus stood up. He couldn’t just sit and mope. They had to do something. They had to fix the mess that had been created. And they would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Albus swears a lot and I like this family dynamic. Let's try not to completely fuck it up.  
> Thanks for reading  
> Kudos and comments much appreciated  
> Twitter: @evie_adams273


	3. Veiled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: quite a lot of violence, death, burning.  
> Sorry bout that

Everyone had told the old stories about invasions. Everyone had told tales of battles that raged for days and bodies that littered the streets. Everyone had claimed that all peace be shattered by the bugle call of a human. But it all felt like a lie.

This invasion had been quiet. No one had even known that anything had happened until the palace gates were thrown open and the streets had been bathed in blood.

Mitra couldn’t remember what she had said to her husband when he had last left to take up his post as a royal guard. She couldn’t remember how she had said goodbye. She was scared that she hadn’t said goodbye. It had only been two days ago. And now she would never see him again.

Some around her had suggested that, perhaps, she could hold out a little more hope, because there hadn’t been a body, but Mitra knew what that meant. Every fairie who had survived had escaped and come back. The humans would not do the courtesy of returning bodies. Mitra knew that her husband was gone, and there was nothing she could do.

When she had found out, her first instinct had been to walk, but she couldn’t do that anymore. The humans had begun patrolling the city almost immediately. The curfew had come first, and then it had progressed to keeping everyone inside and murdering the few who dared to show their faces. After three days. monitored movement was permitted during the day, and the city was allowed to return to some sort of way of working, though the curfew was still in place.

The hardest part of it hadn’t been the loss. The hardest part had been breaking the news to her daughter. Her daughter, old enough to understand what had happened, young enough to be completely broken by it. The two of them had spent most of their days in a silence, doing the bare minimum needed to keep themselves alive and under the radar.

As the city entered the second week, the news started to make its way through as to why the invasion had been successful. One of the royals had been a spy, had betrayed them all. Everyone said it was because she was a half-breed. Everyone said it was because she wasn’t true Fae. And Mitra felt inclined to believe this narrative.

She couldn’t help but feel that the only reason this could possibly have been done was if there was an absolutely necessary motive. If someone felt that helping their species was an absolutely necessary motive, then Mitra could see why it would lead to betraying an entire kingdom.

It was another reason she stayed inside; she knew that if she left and encountered the traitor, she would probably try and kill her. She wasn’t defenceless. Her husband had taught her plenty. She didn’t need a sword.

If she went down, she wanted to go down fighting. No other way. Fighting like a wildcat to keep what was right.

If she died, she would drag several humans with her. To hell. Or whatever waited afterwards.

She was only leaving the house today because, apparently, at least one member of each household was required to be at an announcement. Whatever pathetic shit they had to announce. She didn’t want to risk not turning up. They probably wouldn’t be able to tell, what with their uselessness, but she couldn’t risk that. She had her daughter to protect.

Gods. That was the only reason she did anything and everything now. It was a good reason, but a will to live would have been nice.

She kept her head down as she walked, hood pulled far enough over her face to cut out her peripheral vision. Her hearing more than made up for it, and she wanted anonymity now. As she walked, she caught sight of a friend – Kye – a few feet ahead of her, and extended her pace, settling into step beside them.

“Morning,” she muttered.

“Morning.”

“How have you been holding up?”

“We’ve run out of food twice. Four streets too far from the markets. Owain says he wants to go, but I won’t let him.”

“Come to ours,” Mitra glanced up at her friend. “The door is open whenever you need it.”

“I didn’t want to intrude. I heard about – I’m sorry.”

Mitra nodded, the words that she had catching in her throat. It felt like a punch in the gut. Every time someone mentioned what had happened, it felt like someone had punched the original stab wound. Not that they realised. Or they did, and they tried to approach it carefully. Which made it worse. It was easier if it was quick. For some reason, that hurt a little less.

She kept walking, glancing up again as they turned towards the palace. Not that she really needed to. Every single fairie on the street was going to the same place. No one left their home if they didn’t have to. Everyone had something to protect. Those who didn’t were already dead. Or maybe they believed the things that the humans were saying. Maybe they believed whatever mindless propaganda was being distributed.

By the time they reached the palace, Mitra was well and truly stuck in the centre of the crowd. There was no way out now, and no way to avoid whatever the humans now wanted to inflict. She doubted that it would only be a message. There would be some example made, some punishment brought upon them, for the crime of simply existing.

Humans seemed to be like that.

Mitra could see, just above the sea of heads, a platform, surrounded by human guards. Behind it, the walls of the palace had not yet been properly cleaned, and the bloodstains, while a little washed out by the summer rains, were still visible. Mitra was glad she had not eaten breakfast.

Silence fell over the crowd for a few minutes, and it got to the point where Mitra began to wonder if anything at all was going to happen, but then someone stepped onto the platform. A tall man, with short, very cropped hair, dressed in some sort of ridiculous clothing that looked wholly uncomfortable. It looked stupid, weighed down with jewels, to the point where it looked as if he was struggling to stand.

Compared to what the Fae royals wore, this was utterly absurd. Mitra had never seen any of them wearing anything other than light, easy robes, or dresses, not unlike what everyone else wore. They never behaved as if they were better. She herself had spent many a time at the market talking to the youngest princess and was now on first-name-basis. No one thought themselves above.

But this man, this human, did. As, apparently, did Delphini. As did the traitor.

She had appeared behind the man, a slight grin on her face, and to Mitra’s surprise, she had her wings visible. Every fairie could hide their wings, tuck them away, but she hadn’t. Mitra had assumed that she would have done so. She had let them in. She wanted to be like them. It only made sense that she wouldn’t have her fairie sides on show.

Mitra shook the thought. It wasn’t important. It wasn’t the thing she should dwell on. She had to listen to whatever shit they were going to spew, and then she had to go home. Without killing anyone.

The man stepped forward.

“Loyal subjects.”

The reaction was quiet, but immediate.

“Thank you for deigning to attend today. Your presence is gratefully received.”

Beside Mitra, Kye dug their nails into Mitra’s palm, apparently sensing the rising anger. Mitra breathed with the pain, using it to steady herself.

“We understand that this is a difficult time, but we hope that you will allow us to help you to rise out of the ashes together, and build a brighter future.”

“You were the one who burnt it down,” Kye muttered.

Delphini stepped forward.

“I know there is some concern,” she began, “over the welfare of this kingdom, and how it will continue, but I can assure you, everything is going to be okay. I have agreed to help make this transition as easy as possible.”

The anger of the crowd started to build. Mitra looked at Kye. Kye was looking elsewhere, but Mitra squeezed their hand, getting their attention anyway.

“If anything happens to me,” she whispered, “look after Sapphira.”

“What are you talking about?”

Mitra let go of Kye’s hand, flaring her wings and shooting upwards so that she was hovering opposite Delphini. Delphini stopped speaking.

“How many were murdered?” Mitra called, speaking loud enough for the now-silent crowd to hear. 

“Thankfully,” Delphini smiled sweetly, “we only lost a few soldiers, as we had the element of surprise on our side.”

“Not them!” Mitra nearly screamed. “How many guards did you murder? How many fairies didn’t come home because you’re a traitorous liar that we should never have let in?”

She flew to hover a little higher as Delphini laughed and the human soldiers started pushing through the crowd to stand below her. She rolled her eyes. She could hover like this for long enough. Or she could fly away. No one would be able to pursue. Not properly.

Delphini flared her wings for a moment, and then she rose into the air, soaring to meet Mitra. Mitra smirked, before Delphini seized her by the throat. Mitra started to move, started to attack, but a searing pain exploded beneath Delphini’s grip, and it was all she could do to keep herself aloft as Delphini dragged her back to the platform.

When they landed on the platform, Mitra barely had time to react as she was seized from behind, and she screamed out in pain. Delphini had stepped away and was examining her gloves.

“Iron really is a pesky little thing,” she smirked. “Do you like my gloves? Iron threads. Beautiful things. Of course, I have a lining so I don’t get hurt.”

“You’re a monster,” Mitra choked out. “You’re a murdering monster.”

“I haven’t killed anyone yet. And I don’t intend to.”

“Not going to kill me?”

“No. I’m going to make an example of you.”

Mitra flinched as the soldiers dropped her and walked away. The platform had not been sanded, and there were splinters everywhere. She knew that was the least of her problems but it still caught her eye for some reason.

Delphini crouched down beside her, pulling off one glove and extending her hand so that Mitra could see the sparks flying from her fingertips. Half a second of silence passed, before Mitra screamed again as she flew up into the air and smashed into the wall. The pain that shot through her body this time was less sharp, but it was constant. The dizziness that ensued was overpowering to the point where she did not have time to spread her wings and get away. She could only let herself fall.

And fall again. And again. And again. Until Delphini dragged her to her feet again, and pulled out a small knife. Mitra rolled her eyes a little, before closing them and letting her weight slide. Delphini held her upright, resting the blade on her cheek.

“This should teach you,” she whispered, “not to question my judgement.”

Mitra waited for the slicing pain, the sharpness that either meant her life was over, or nearly over, and she just prayed that Sapphira would be okay, that she would survive. But the pain didn’t change from the ache in her bones. Delphini laughed again, dropping her and allowing several soldiers to scoop her up.

This time, they didn’t seem to be touching her with any iron, because there was no new burning sensation. Mitra didn’t have the strength to fight them as they dragged her away. She was going to die. She was going to die because she couldn’t contain her cockish temper. She would not go home that night. She would never see her child again.

Someone would care for her. At least she could be safe in that knowledge. Her child would not be alone. If Kye wasn’t able to care for her, someone else would. The loyalty and the understanding of the fairies around them meant that Sapphira would not be alone.

That was a small mercy.

How had it been that, less than two weeks ago, life had been normal? How had it been that the streets had been busy and the Fae had been happy and there had been no suspicion that anything at all was going to happen?

And now, they were here. Too many dead. Too many gone. And no knowledge of where the royals were. Only Delphini had been seen.

Mitra passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about that, again. This is the chapter where I managed to predict the existence of Nyx in the character of Kye until Nyx got cast and I changed the name because that would have been a little awkward.  
> Thanks for reading.  
> Kudos and comments appreciated  
> Twitter: @evie_adams273


	4. What Story Do You Believe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late.
> 
> Trigger warning: war

“Two weeks,” Albus slammed down another book on the desk. “We’ve been gone for two weeks. How many Fae are dead?”

“We need to keep planning,” James didn’t look up. 

“We’ve got seven different plans,” Albus rolled his eyes. “We need to make a decision as to which we’re going to carry out. We need to move, but we need to plan so we don’t all die.”

“We have seven ideas–”

“Then let’s fucking pick one and plan it out!”

He flinched slightly as Scorpius placed a hand on his, before picking up the book again and sitting on the sofa. With every single passing second, the others seemed to grow more and more suspicious of Delphi. They had been convinced of her guilt to begin with, but the time and talk allowed for it to somehow get more intense, no matter what Albus said. Which meant that he got more and more defensive. And scared. Scared of what two weeks in human ranks might have done to her.

He didn’t want to sit around and try and plan. He wanted to move. He and James seemed to have swapped positions, though his brother still had some idea of being sensible so that they didn’t die. But being cooped up in the house was starting to get to him.

“We’ll have something soon,” Scorpius murmured, sitting beside Albus. “We just have to know what we’re doing.”

“Fae are getting hurt,” Albus muttered. “Fae are going to get hurt and die unless we move. We can’t just sit around here forever, trying to come up with an airtight plan where there just isn’t one.”

“We could try – no – sorry – stupid idea.”

“It’s probably not.”

“If it went wrong, we’d all die.”

“If any of this goes wrong, we’re all going to die.”

Scorpius nodded, but he still hesitated again. Albus placed a hand on his knee, smiling softly at him. 

“Please.”

“If we get over the border,” Scorpius muttered, “if we get over the border, we could get help from Bayscar.”

“Would they do that?” James looked up.

“If humans have done this, they’re not going to stop. They’ll come to us next. If my father doesn’t interfere all of the kingdoms are going to fall.”

“Okay,” Albus nodded. “James?”

“I have to think about it…”

Albus nodded, standing up again. He needed some water, or some fresh air, or just some distraction or other. He made his way through to the kitchen, about to splash something on his face, when he looked up to see a raven headed directly for the window. For a moment, he didn’t even know how the raven could see the house, because the raven was definitely headed towards the window, but then he saw a letter hanging from its feet.

It threw him when he realised to raven could see the house, until it landed and he saw the royal seal. The royals used to ravens to send messages in emergencies, meaning they could see through protective charms. However, the only Fae who had access to them were top guards and royals, meaning that whoever had sent this was on the inside.

Albus didn’t want to get his hopes up.

He flicked his hand and the window opened, closing after the raven had soared in, dropped the letter, and soared out again. Albus picked up the letter, his eyes widening as he recognised Delphi’s handwriting. He tore it open, despite the fact that it was addressed to James, and started to read.

_If you are reading this, then the likelihood is that the kingdom has fallen when I thought it would – when I made sure you were not in the city. Do not come back unless you have a secure plan of exactly what to do, and a lot of fairies prepared to fight. The humans are more dangerous than you can possibly imagine._

_I haven’t got time to explain my position on this, so infuse the powder at the bottom of this envelope into some hot water and drink it. There should be enough for all four of you and it should taste like tea. You need to know what happened if you are planning on coming back. If you are not, I honestly cannot blame you. I’ll do my best to keep everyone alive._

_I’m sorry this happened. This was my fault. If we die, it’s because of my curiosity, and I am sorry for that._

_To Albus – I love you, and I don’t know what trust has been destroyed through this. I wish you and Scorpius the very best with what you can now make. Don’t come back if you don’t want to. Please don’t put your life at risk for me._

_Delphi_

“James!” Albus called. “James, come here.”

He pulled out the little package of powder from the envelope, putting both the letter and it down before he went to set the kettle boiling. James appeared in the doorway half a moment later, and Albus pointed at the letter. James picked it up.

Half a minute later–

“You’re not drinking that.”

“Yes, I am.”

“This letter can’t be real. If it’s fake, that might kill you.”

“Delphi isn’t evil.”

“We can’t believe that. We can’t trust anything.”

Albus picked up the kettle, pouring out a mugful of water into the cup, before grabbing the powder from James and tearing it open before he could stop him.

“Don’t,” James stared at him. “Albus, for fuck’s sake.”

Albus poured a quarter of the powder into the water, swirling it around and stepping away from James,

“I’m going to do this, James” Albus said softly. “I’m going to do this so please don’t try and stop me. Delphi wouldn’t try and kill us. And even if this is a trick, it won’t kill me. Humans are arrogant. They’d want us to come back so they can make an example of our deaths.”

James still didn’t look impressed, but Albus ignored him and tipped the liquid down his throat. He partly regretted his decision when the boiling water hit the back of his mouth, and he had to try and concentrate what little healing abilities he had on repairing the minor burn. Quite quickly, he grew dizzy, and he stumbled towards the kitchen table, sitting down. James hurried to his side, and Albus shook his head as he reached to do something. This felt right.

He couldn’t even explain why. It was simply something deeply primal within him to understand that this was correct and that he wasn’t dying.

The dizziness kept growing, until his vision had all but glazed over, and Albus closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He would be fine. This would be fine.

* * *

_I glance back at Albus once more as I fly away. He’s grown up so much, even since I met him, and I don’t think he knows how much I love him. It doesn’t matter that we can both remember meeting each other. He’s my little brother. That’s never going to change. I look forward again. It’s a long flight. And I’m not entirely sure where I’m going._

_Over the border to the human lands. Over the magic that keeps our worlds apart. Over to find the other half of my family. Or find their descendants. I’m well aware that my father will no longer be alive. It’s been two hundred years. He’s long dead. He and my mother both._

_I shake the thought. I don’t want to sink into the grief of her death while in the air. I just have to keep flying. I know the quickest route to the border, and then I can land again and ask how to get to the capital city. Apparently, this human country is much larger than Amberfall, so they have multiple cities. Where we just have the one, surrounded by villages, they have several, and I think I’m looking for the biggest. I’ll work it out when I get there._

_I’m going to have to walk quite a long way. I’ve got no money, and I can’t fly during the day. I suppose it’s also a mercy that I can tuck my wings again. It’s autumn, but I still wouldn’t be able to just blend in. Wings are, well, fucking huge._

_I’m going to make it to the place I need to go. I’m going to find out more about myself. I’m going to come back and feel more comfortable with myself. In theory._

_No one trusts the humans. And, having heard the stories, I can’t blame them. But I also know that it’s a part of me, and I’m not prepared to despise parts of myself without justification. But I think I am prepared to hate parts of myself._

_That’s probably not healthy._

_But that doesn’t matter. I need to know everything. I can’t just ignore that I have human blood in my veins. My wings are different. My aura generally ‘shines’ less. Even my ears are less pointed. They’re visible, but the difference is also visible._

* * *

_“Excuse me,” I try not to mumble as I step up to the desk. “I’m here to check over some records.”_

_I can’t remember whether I’ve pulled my hair over my ears but I resist the need to check. Because then I’ll need to check again. And I can’t look suspicious._

_Delphi. Find your family records. Read them. Go home. That’s all you need to do. It’s all going to be okay. Ginny has promised that she’ll be there for you, no matter what happens. Your family know about this. In a small amount of detail. It’s going to be okay.  
_

_“What records are you looking for?”  
_

_“The Riddle family.”_

_I’ve rehearsed this one too many times._

_The human manning the desk looks up from the book he was writing in, and I look down, not sure what to say. In the moments I saw his face, he looked scared, and then I think it changed.  
_

_“Can I ask why you want these records?”  
_

_“I’m – I’m looking for family records. My – great-grandfather – someone told me he was in the family.”  
_

_“Name?”  
_

_“Thomas Riddle? Thomas Marvolo Riddle?”  
_

_“Miss, would you come with me?”  
_

_“Why?”  
_

_“Please come with me.”_

_He stands up and I follow him through behind the bookcases. The corridor seems to go on and on and he keeps walking, never slowing his pace. The cobwebs get more and more thick, turning the walls from grey to near-white in the little torchlight there is._

_Eventually, we get to a door, and he stops, pushing it open and directing me inside. There’s a table, two chairs and, in the corner, a device I recognise as something I’ve used to send messages in the past. I’ve not seen many as of late, and I’ve got no idea how humans came to possess one, but I don’t comment. It’s not important right now._

_The man pushes a button and murmurs something that I can’t properly make out. Something about me, and what I’ve said. It’s a sudden fight not to back away. But I can’t. I can’t be more suspicious than I already am. Because they suspect me of something. I’m not being paranoid. I hope I’m not being paranoid._

_The man looks up at me. “Wait here.”_

_And then he’s gone and the door is locked._

_I go to the table, sitting down and weaving my fingers together. It’s cold, and I’m tired and hungry, but I don’t try and use magic. There would be traces left. I just have to wait until someone comes in. Maybe they’ll get me the records. They probably won’t. Why did I think that was a good idea?_

* * *

_The door takes hours to open again, and when it does, I have to sit up. I decided to try and sleep, not that it was a particularly effective decision, what with the only furniture being made of wood._

_The man who walks in is tall, and he’s wearing some ridiculously large outfit that I assume is meant to be flattering. It isn’t. It just makes him look uncomfortable and stupid.  
_

_“What’s going on?” I ask, standing up. “Why have I have just spent multiple hours in here for asking for a particular record?”  
_

_“You’re not from around here, are you?” the man beckons me towards him; I stay still.  
_

_“Why do you think that?”  
_

_“Being a Riddle isn’t a good thing around here. You’d hide it.”  
_

_“I’m not a Riddle. I’m descended from, but I’m not one of them.”  
_

_“Here’s the thing,” the man walks towards me, “I don’t think you’re his grandchild.”_

_I don’t respond._

_“I don’t think you could be. Not this soon.”  
_

_“It’s been two hundred years.”_

_He runs a hand down the side of my face and I start to squirm to try and get away. I’ve got no idea what he’s trying to do and I have no intention of finding out.  
_

_“Yes, but age doesn’t matter to you.”_

_Before I can say anything else, he flicks my hair away from my ear, and my blood runs cold. He knows. He knows I’m a fairie. He knew. How the fuck did he know? And I’ve got no idea where I am, much less any idea as to how to get away.  
_

_“So who are you really?”_

_There’s no point in lying._

_“I’m his daughter. Half-Fae. I came here looking for records so I could find out about him.”  
_

_“Shall I tell you a story?”_

_I don’t respond and he points me towards the chair. I sit, mentally making a list of weapons around us. I’m not stupid. I know this might all go more wrong than it has.  
_

_“What do you know about the war?”  
_

_“Not much, other than the fact that it wasn’t a war. It was an invasion.”  
_

_“You don’t talk about it?”  
_

_“Most fairies lived through it. We all know it happened. Most don’t like to talk about it.”  
_

_“Well then,” the man smirks, “allow me to tell you what happened.”  
_

_“Allow me to take it with several pinches of salt.”  
_

_“We were winning. We were set to take control of the Fae lands, when your father defected and betrayed us all. He knew enough to be able to bring us to our knees, and the Fae_ _won.”  
_

_“We didn’t win,” I stare at him. “Keeping your kind out wasn’t winning.”  
_

_“We needed what we were fighting for. And we lost it because we were betrayed. If you’re his daughter, then you can repay his debt.”  
_

_“Why would I help you?”  
_

_“Because we’re alone in here. If I wanted, I could say you attacked me. I could have you killed.”  
_

_“Why would they believe you?”  
_

_“A king doesn’t lie.”_

_If I had been standing, I would have stumbled backwards. The king. He’s the king. He’s the fucking king. He’s got the power to do anything. If he wanted, he could kill me. And he’s threatening to. No. No. I don’t want to die. I can’t die. But I can’t just fight. If I fight, they have a reason to kill me. I have to talk my way out of this.  
_

_“So, you want my help,” I look up at him. “How would you like his debt – repaid?”_

_The man walks closer, running a hand under my chin. I try not to flinch as he smiles nastily, almost like he can see through me, and into what I’m thinking. He’s not going to tell me. I’m not sure why I thought he would. It was stupid.  
_

_“You’ll have to wait and see.”_

_Fuck. I’m so screwed._

* * *

_None of the grandeur is necessary. It’s all a big show, and he knows that I know. And he knows that I’ve spent every waking moment looking for a way out. I’ve not been alone for more than a minute since I left that room in the records hall._

_Now I’m dressed in some sort of stupid dress they’ve told me to wear, my wings incredibly visible. I don’t want my wings on show, but I would also like to make it out of this alive. The doors to the Throne Room open and I walk in, like I’ve been told to. I walk to the king, and I bow, and I try not to flinch as I feel several guards move in behind me.  
_

_“Delphini Riddle,” the king smiles, “has agreed to repay a debt held for two hundred years. She will help us to further our plans and establish further prosperity for this kingdom.”_

_Further prosperity? What is that supposed to mean? What could they possibly want me to do? There is nothing they could want that wouldn’t involve me putting the kingdom at risk. Nothing at all. Unless. No. No. They can’t be doing that. That can’t be an option. I can’t let them do that.  
_

_“You can’t invade!” I blurt. “You can’t invade our lands.”  
_

_“Why not?”  
_

_“We haven’t done anything. You were the ones in the wrong last time and you’ll be in the wrong if you invade. I won’t help you with that.”  
_

_“And if we decide to kill you?”  
_

_“I’ll survive.”_

_The king stands, walking towards me and running a hand along the side of my head and down my chin.  
_

_“The thing is, Delphini,” he hisses, “if you don’t agree to this, we will come anyway. And we will kill every single fairie who has ever been important to you. And then we will kill you.”_

_He’s serious. I know he’s serious. He’ll kill everyone. My family. And Scorpius. And hundreds of those in the city. Just to try and get me to comply. To make an ally of me._

_I’m stuck. I’m stuck in this, and if I try and move in any direction, too many fairies will get hurt. Too many fairies will die. I can’t let that happen. I have to find another way out of this. Somehow. Somehow I have to find a way to save everyone._

_This is all my fault. All the fact that I was too curious for my own good. And this is what I’ve found. The knowledge that I don’t have to despise my blood is welcome, but I’d rather hate my blood and myself than have the knowledge that this was coming.  
_

_“Fine,” I mutter. “Fine. I’ll help you. On a condition.”  
_

_“And what would that be?”  
_

_“You harm no child.”_

_For a moment, I don’t think he’s going to agree, but then he smiles and nods, starting to walk away again.  
_

_“I’m sure we can do that if you get us our victory.”_

_I nod, bowing my head properly, and then I scream out as a burning pain explodes through my back. It’s concentrated around a point on my spine, barely missing my wings, and I fall forward, scraping my knees on the floor as I try not to move with the pain. It feels like my back is on fire, and the feeling seems to be spreading._

_Despite every part of my mind screaming at me not to, I turn my head to try and see what they’ve done. I don’t make it, collapsing back on myself with another whimper of pain.  
_

_“What did you do?” I groan, forcing my head up. “What – what the fuck…”  
_

_“We still have a little magic,” the king stands above me. “You will stay here until that heals. And when it starts to hurt again, we are coming and you will find us a way into the castle.”_

* * *

Albus opened his eyes slowly, trying to register where he now was. He had gone into whatever trance he had just emerged from in the kitchen, but now he was lying on the sofa in the lounge, Scorpius holding his hand tightly. Albus started to sit up, groaning and blinking a few times. He had to explain what he’d seen. Delphi. Delphi had explained everything. 

“Where’s the powder?” Albus started to stand, despite the remaining dizziness. 

“It’s in the kitchen,” Scorpius stood with him. “Albus, please stay still; you passed out.”

“You need to see what her message was,” Albus stumbled forward. “All of you.”

“James and Lily are still in the kitchen–”

Albus stumbled away, supporting himself with the wall as he ran through the house. James and Lily looked up as he came in, about to rush to his side when he shook his head. 

“Drink the powder,” he said. “Drink it, now.”

“Albus, are you okay?”

“Yes, James. Now drink it. So that we can sort ourselves out and get inside that fucking castle.”

When no one moved again, Albus stormed over to the kettle and switched it on again, as Scorpius appeared in the doorway, looking between all of them.

“Albus? What happened? What did you see?”

“You remember when Delphi went away a few months ago?” Albus didn’t stop moving. “Well, turns out some shit went wrong on that trip, and it’s turned out here. So drink the potion, listen to her explanation and then we can get going?”

“Albus, it’s not safe,” James said. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m still alive!” Albus wheeled around. “For fuck’s sake, James.”

“I’ll drink it,” Scorpius said. “If you trust her, I’ll drink it.”

There was a silence that followed, in which James sighed, nodding and reaching for the kettle as it came close to boiling over.

“Okay,” he nodded. “Okay. You’re still alive. Let’s do this.”

He poured out the water into three mugs, splitting the remaining powder between them and passing the mugs around. Albus bit his lip as he watched them sit down at the table, before glancing at each other once more. And then three of them downed the liquid and all slumped forward. And Albus was alone.

During the minutes that followed, Albus tried to keep himself busy. He tried to do a few quick chores, tried to keep his hands busy, and when Scorpius started to stir again, he sat again, taking his fiancé’s hand. Scorpius’ eyes fluttered open, and he sat up slowly, staring forward blankly.

“She saved us,” he murmured. “She knew they were coming and she got us out. She saved us.”

“She saved us so that we can save her,” Albus nodded. “Save all of them.”

He looked over to see Lily and James resurfacing, looking equally shocked, and he bit his lip. Where did they go from here? What did they do now?

“We plan tonight,” James’ voice was quiet and gruff. “We leave tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late. I forgot to edit on Friday. Then I forgot again yesterday so here we are. If you wanna get angry scroll back through my twitter and fuck off.  
> Thanks for reading  
> Kudos and comments much appreciated  
> Twitter: @evie_adams273


	5. Hiding In Plain Sight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late again, guys. Was helping a friend on editing night and then had a really bad night last night so this was a bit of a rush job.
> 
> Trigger warning: war, mentions of past violence

Delphi kept her head held high as she strode into the Throne Room that afternoon. None of the humans trusted her. She couldn’t blame them. She didn’t trust them either. And anyway, who would trust the half-fairie who was wandering around with her wings incredibly visible.

Delphi hadn’t hidden her wings. At first she’d wanted to and they hadn’t let her. Now they wanted her to submit and she refused. She was a little braver now. Her quiet little act of rebellion. Her attempt at letting the kingdom know that she was on their side.

So far, she had all but completely honoured her bargain, and they were doing the same. While she wanted to prevent as much hurt as possible, she was also waiting for them to fuck up. As soon as they did that, no matter what state of defence she had, she fully intended to start riots. She just had to hope that her message had reached James and that he was coming back.

Until then, it was a case of hanging on through the awful days because she knew better days were coming.

The worst day had been the day Delphi had come back into the Throne Room after nearly killing an innocent. She had been greeted with cheers. Cheers of gratitude for harming someone who had done nothing wrong. Delphi didn’t know Mitra very well, but she had known her husband. He was dead. Because of her.

She shook the thought. It was an awful thing to ignore, but she had to keep up an iron guard in this room. The king was starting to push her for more and more answers to questions she claimed she didn’t know that answer to. Some of them, she truthfully didn’t know. When James had asked where they should take Lily, Delphi had said to surprise her. But there were only a limited number of places they could have gone.

They would know by now. Whether or not her letter had made it to them, they would know about the invasion. And if Delphi knew anything about them, she knew that they would be trying to find a way back. So it was only a matter of time. She just had to hang on and keep up all pretences.

She smirked at the king as she found her usual seat, settling into it with an apparent ease and looking out at the groups of humans walking around. She had not bowed when she had entered, but they didn’t seem to care. None of the humans wanted to cross a fairie, and the king looked preoccupied. And even he seemed wary of Delphi.

Delphi waited a few minutes and, when he had finished with whomever he had been speaking to, she threw him a smile. Enough to catch his attention, but not enough to show him any kindness.

“Delphi,” he smiled back. “I’ve been meaning to speak to you.”

“In private?”

“Here is fine.”

“Of course.”

Delphi refused to address him with whatever title he wanted. And he didn’t seem to care. Apparently, he had realised that having her as an ally was more valuable than his pride. Somehow.

“So, Delphi,” he continued. “Do you have any idea where the heir of this kingdom is?”

“No,” Delphi tried to remember to leave a tiny pause. “They left the day before you arrived.”

“Why?”

“They were going on a holiday,” Delphi explained, “and from there they were going to take a visit to the neighbouring kingdom.”

“Why both at the same time?”

“Because one of them is engaged to the prince of the neighbouring kingdom.”

“That’s convenient.”

“It is. Surprisingly, it wasn’t arranged and they’re quite happy together.”

“I’d be happy for them,” the king smirked, “if they weren’t a threat to us.”

“Of course,” Delphi forced another smile. “I’m afraid, however, that I have no idea where they are. I haven’t left this city more than four times since I first arrived. Decades ago.”

That was a lie. She had said something that was completely untrue. Every other lie she had told had possessed some element of truth, but now she felt exposed. This made her vulnerable. But only if they found out. And that wouldn’t happen.

“I apologise for my inability to help you here,” Delphi murmured. “They will return eventually, and when they do, I’m sure you will be ready for them. They’re three, maybe four, fairies. You shouldn’t have any problems.”

The king nodded, turning away as someone else approached him, and Delphi looked forward again. A few more minutes. She just had to sit here for a few more minutes. Then she could disappear again and not be seen until tomorrow.

There were things she had to do, and it was becoming somewhat urgent. The most difficult parts of her magic drained her energy incredibly quickly, and she could almost feel herself growing wearier with every passing second. Still, using this sort of power was the only way to keep herself whole in any way at all.

Not to mention the constant sound-proofing she’d had to put around her rooms. Having nightmares wasn’t an uncommon thing for her, but waking every single night with her own screams ringing in her ears wasn’t a weakness that she could display. Not anymore. The humans had taken her on some sort of fucked up victory tour of the castle after the battle. The sheer number of her friends she had seen, slaughtered, had been enough for her to have to excuse herself to throw up.

So many Fae were dead. And, so far, only a few more had died, but it had been a separate battle keeping that number down. On two occasions, Delphi had come close to saving several fairies, but she hadn’t been able to, because it would have involved killing a human.

And she didn’t blame the humans. So she couldn’t kill them.

She blamed their leaders. She blamed those who had forced them to come and cause the slaughter. She couldn’t kill someone else who didn’t have a choice.

Still, it haunted her as she fell asleep, and after she fell asleep.

She stood up, a sudden wave of nausea washing over her, and it took most of her concentration not to stumble as she walked away. Fairies moved out of her path, and she glanced at them as she passed, trying to smirk nastily. It was a mask. It was all a mask.

She walked back through the castle, taking a deep breath as she reached her rooms. The key she had in her pocket no longer worked on the lock, and she waved her hand subtly, before pushing the door open and shutting it as quickly as she could get away with. She leaned against the door for a moment, before waving her hand to dissolve the magic surrounding her bed, next door.

“Delphi?”

“I’m back, yeah,” Delphi slid down and wrapped her wings around herself. “Give me a few minutes.”

“Are you okay?” Mitra appeared in the doorway, leaning on the wall to support herself.

Delphi nodded, trying to smile again. It didn’t happen, but she wasn’t willing to force it for a third time, especially when she didn’t need to.

She had been hiding Mitra in her room, with an invisibility charm since the day she had nearly killed them. She had done her best to heal the damage she had caused, and she had told Mitra the truth about what had happened. Mitra was now nearly healed, and Delphi had spent most of the last day and a half trying to work out how to sneak them out of the castle and keep them alive once they were back home.

The king believed that they were still in the dungeons, or that they were dead. Delphi knew that she wouldn’t be returning Mitra to a good life, not unless she could fix everything, but it was still a life. Mitra had a family. It was still a life. And the hiding was only temporary.

Delphi took a deep breath, standing up and walking through to the room Mitra was in. Mitra had sat back down on the sofa and Delphi settled opposite them, leaning her head back against the wall.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, pacing her breathing in an attempt to relieve the nausea in the pit of her stomach.

“I’m not in any pain. Just exhausted.”

“Do you want to go home?”

“What?”

“I can try and get you home. You’d have to lay very low, and I’d have to put a shedload of safety charms on your home, but you could go home.”

“Could anyone know?”

“Close friends. Your family. No one else. And if it goes wrong, I can’t step in.”

Mitra nodded, biting their lip as they drew her knees up near their chest. Delphi stood up, not wanting to pressure them into making a decision. There was a lot to consider, almost too much. And she had things to do. She walked through to her study, pulling open one of the drawers that contained letters to reread. She didn’t have a particular one in mind, simply rifling through until she found one addressed in her mother’s handwriting.

It was one she hadn’t read in a very long time, and one she almost didn’t remember. Her mother had been dead for decades. The letters all seemed to be timeless, all their dates meaningless. Every single one contained advice and love and kindness. Once, Delphi had considered that, perhaps, she had not been born when most of the letters had been written. It was something she had stopped thinking after a while, but the idea had come back when she had been waiting for her injuries to heal in the humans’ castle.

She had started to wonder whether all of it had been a warning that she had been too slow to spot. And, until now, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to look. But she needed to. So she would.

She opened the letter, her eyes starting to well up with tears as she read. She rarely had time to read these letters anymore. Her mother’s handwriting seemed almost unfamiliar. She didn’t want it to. She wanted everything to be entirely okay. But it couldn’t be. It had been a long time since it had been.

As she read, she fiddled with the envelope, and when she was about halfway down the page, she stopped to look inside again. She spotted another envelope inside, smaller, and one she had managed to miss on any previous occasion of reading this less. She pulled it out.

_To my daughter, regarding your father._

Delphi ripped through the seal without a second thought, pulling the paper out and trying to take deep breaths. Whatever she was about to read, she couldn’t prepare herself. It could be good. It could be bad. And she had to read it.

_My darling girl,_

_I know it is likely that you will resent to being referred to as a girl when you find and read this letter, but it’s your father’s favourite term of endearment for you. I don’t know what point you will read this at, and I don’t know how far your idea of humanity will have been taken by those around you. But I know you will be curious, because both your father and I are curious, as is everyone around you._

_Your father is human, though this won’t be a surprise to you. And I know that this might have alienated you from your own life somewhat, but I want you to be able to be proud of this part of yourself. Your father is a good person. He saved so many lives. He risked his own safety and his own life to save this kingdom. And I love him._

_During the invasion, I fought, and I captured him. It seems stupid or clichéd to think about now, but he was injured, and I didn’t have the heart to simply hand him over. So I hid him and we started to fall for each other and I let him go. Like I said, it seems stupid._

_I thought I would never see him again, but one day, he came stumbling into my camp, injured and exhausted. And before he would let any healer see to him, he insisted on telling our leaders exactly where the next battle was planned for, and exactly what their plans were. He was telling the truth._

_Afterwards, he was granted clemency to live within the kingdom and we moved to a small village in the middle of nowhere. We were accepted. We lived happily. We had you. And then he started to fade, started to pass away. He was still only human._

_Fairly soon after that, after his death, we received word that humans were starting to hunt for him again. I brought you to the city, intending to cite our royal connections as a reason for protection. They gave us the protection, and we’re here now. But I want you to know that your father betrayed people, but he saved us. I want you to be proud of who you are. And I want you to know the truth._

_I love you more than you will ever know, my darling._

_Your mother_

Delphi closed the letter silently, trying to process what she had just read. Answers. To every question she had had. All sitting in this envelope. The envelope she had somehow missed in convincing herself that she had read every letter her mother had written.

It was her fault. Everything that had happened and would happen was her fault. She hadn’t seen this letter soon enough. She’d brought the humans here. It was all her fault. And there was nothing she could do. Nothing except move forward and try and do the right thing.

She stood up, closing the letter and tucking it into her pocket. She didn’t feel ready to put it back in its box, not yet.

She walked through to the room Mitra was in, sitting again and reminding herself to breathe as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. Mitra caught her eye, but she shook her head. She still needed time to process it. She wasn’t ready to talk yet. 

“I – I was thinking,” Mitra murmured, “about going home…”

Delphi looked up.

“I think I want to go home,” Mitra continued. “I know it’s dangerous, but I can lay low. And I need to see my daughter.”  
Delphi nodded. “I can try and create a vague distraction. Take a cloak and, if anyone asks, say you’re my guest. They’re scared of me. They won’t question.”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. It’s my fault any of us are here in the first place.”

Mitra didn’t say anything.

Delphi stood up again, muttering something about needing to go to bed, and she disappeared into her room. She couldn’t do this forever. She couldn’t hide all of this forever. If help didn’t come soon, she didn’t know whether she would be there to see it arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah sorry again that this is late. Hope you're enjoying this as the plot thickens. Leave a comment if you are because currently I'm completely out of touch with it and feeling a bit shitty. Hope you're all well. Feel free to message me if you're not. Always here to talk xxx  
> Kudos and comments much appreciated  
> Thanks for reading  
> Twitter: @evie_adams273


	6. Ruins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry this is late. Was intending to post yesterday but something happened and I'm a wreck (check my twitter don't ask me).
> 
> Trigger warning: graphic violence, blood

The knock on the door came too early for Delphi’s liking. She was already up and about, trying to prep Mitra on leaving, but when the knock came, she called out for them to wait. She then pointed Mitra to where she kept her weapons, muttering to take, at the very least, a dagger.

She then had to answered the door.

Behind it stood three guards. Human guards. Delphi looked them up and down, frowning. She wasn’t used to being disturbed this early in the morning. This part of the mask was one that wasn’t too hard to fake.

“What do you want?” she snapped. “It’s too early.”

“The king wants to see you.”

“Tell him I’ll be there soon, if he could have a bit of patience.”

One of the guards barged past her and it took as much self-will as she possessed not to cry out in pain as whatever iron thing he was wearing brushed against her skin. Not that he cared. She stumbled back, glancing around to check all the doors were closed, if not locked. Something had happened. Something had gone wrong. Somehow, they knew. It didn’t take a genius to know that. What they were aware of, she didn’t know. But it was something major.

And she needed to go with them if Mitra was going to have a chance to get out. 

“Fine,” she looked up at them. “If the king wants to see me, I suppose I’ll come with you. It’s just lucky I was dressed.”

She followed them out of her room, dodging their attempts to take her arms. She wasn’t stupid. They had iron in their clothing. And she was going to need to fight.

How? How had she been found out? And what had they found? She had done everything she could have thought of to keep herself under the radar. Nearly everything. But the things she had done, she had done with such care that there could be no way that they found her out. She had magic. They didn’t. It wasn’t a difficult thing to consider.

She walked down the corridor, trying to keep her breathing controlled as she did so. Whatever happened would happen and she would survive because she was strong enough. Her mother’s letter was still in her pocket, and while she wished it wasn’t, because she didn’t want it to get damaged, she now had a piece of love with her. A piece of both her parents’ love. She had strength.

The castle got quieter as they got closer to the Throne Room. Delphi tried not to let it throw her, though it was starting to become difficult. Every so often, she’d catch the gaze of a person and they would smirk nastily at her, as if they knew something. She knew they had been scared of her. It was probably pride or something equally stupid. Arrogance.

It was like they had forgotten that she still had power. She could still come close to ripping them limb from limb, from where she stood. Apparently they had forgotten magic worked over a distance.

She continued to ignore them, however, walking, with her head held high, through the doors and towards the king. She froze slightly as she saw the sight in front of him. More soldiers. More soldiers holding a fairie who looked closer to collapse. A fairie covered in blood and bruises. A fairie that Delphi herself had spoken to, moments before the castle had been taken.

The guard who had taken the note.

Fuck.

She fixed a sneer on her face and kept walking down the aisle. She didn’t bow as she reached the throne. She hadn’t done it before. Why would she start now?

She smirked at the king, and it was the first time that he did not return it, instead waving his hand to something behind her. The soldiers surrounded her and she did her best to ignore them. They weren’t touching her. They weren’t important.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Delphi,” the king stood. “Do you recognise this – well – fairie?”

“He used to be a guard,” Delphi shrugged. “I probably met him once. Can’t say he’s important in my life.”

“That’s strange. He seemed to think otherwise.”

Delphi glanced at the guard, the sneer still playing on her lips. He looked at her helplessly, and she looked away. She couldn’t break now. She just couldn’t. Some bullshit about everything riding on her.

“We caught him trying to sneak back into the palace. It took a bit of persuasion, but he admitted where he went.”

“And where was that?”

“To deliver a letter. For you.”

Delphi clenched her fists silently as she felt the soldiers draw closer still. This was it. This was the moment she had to fight.

“Am I not allowed to have letters delivered?”

“Not to people we’ve declared bounties on.”

In the split-second that followed, Delphi started to rise into the air, and then she screamed out as someone seized her wing, the iron burning into her skin. She crashed back onto the floor, screaming again as someone dragged her to her knees and kept their hands around her wrists. She could feel the metal scraping against the worsening burns on her skin, and she tried to tear herself away from them. It didn’t work, instead taking the flesh and shredding it.

The king had started to walk towards her again, reaching down and lifting her chin. She spat back in his face. If he knew now, she could show him every anger under the sun. Every anger she had held back. He laughed.

“You are going to tell us, now, where James Potter is.”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.”

“I don’t,” Delphi tried to pace her breathing. “I will admit that I got them out of the city when I knew they were coming, but I don’t know where they went.”

She waited for some sort of physical blow, some insistence that she would tell them the things she didn’t know, but it didn’t come. The king started to walk away, ending up behind her, where she couldn’t turn her head to look at him. She could still hear him, though.

“You betrayed us. You are a traitor. And your father was a traitor.”

“My father was a good person,” Delphi snapped, starting to struggle again.

“Your father was responsible for the deaths of hundreds.”

“Only because his leader put them at risk in the first place.”

“You know nothing about what happened.”

“I’m closer to knowing than you are.”

For this comment, Delphi was rewarded with a knee in the back, forcing her to the floor as she coughed. Before she could pull herself up again, something settled between her wings, and she started to actually have trouble controlling her breathing. She was scared now. She couldn’t see what was going on. She couldn’t see what the king was doing. And she was in too much pain to try and attempt magic.

The moment of silence was the longest moment Delphi had ever experienced. The world came to a standstill. The planets stopped moving and, for a time, all that was left was fear. And then a pain worse than anything Delphi had ever experienced exploded across her back and through her wings. Through her wing. Something, something burning and hot and excruciating, was moving along the inside of her wing, through the thing that connected it to her back.

She screamed, kicking and shrieking as she tried to get away from whatever was holding her down. But they had a grip like nothing she had ever known. So the iron kept moving through her wing. Burning and slicing and tearing through her flesh. She could feel her blood soaking through her dress, dripping down onto the floor. It was all she could do to keep herself conscious and she didn’t even know why she was bothering. They were going to kill her. It would be easier if she was already unconscious.

She kept begging and pleading and crying at them to stop. Her wings. She couldn’t lose her wings. Her wings made her whole. Her wings reminded her of who she was. Her wings allowed her to fly.

She couldn’t stop flying. If she stopped flying, if she couldn’t fly anymore, nothing would matter. Nothing else in the world would matter. She couldn’t lose her wings.

Except she had no decision in the matter. As time continued to pass, she lost more and more strength to fight, and could only scream and plead as the pain was replaced by a violent, ongoing throbbing.

When there was finally some respite, she expected it to begin again, begin down her other wing. But it didn’t.

Instead, she felt them drag her to her knees, holding her up because she barely had the strength to stay conscious. Her vision had started to blur, but she could just about make out the king getting closer to her again. Holding something.

She screamed again, as something snapped around her necked. Hot and burning and sharp. Iron. Iron around her neck.

Someone was talking, talking to her, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. She couldn’t focus on anything. And she couldn’t fight back as she was dragged to her feet and pulled away.

* * *

They had been in the cell for nearly two and a half weeks now. Ginny had watched the sun rise through the tiny window, every morning. Counting. It helped keep her calm, in the same way that pacing helped her husband. She knew nothing about what was going on.

What she did know was that, at least at first, her children had been safe. They had not been in the city. And she would have heard if they had been found.

She had heard about Delphi’s betrayal, though part of her wondered whether that was why she and her husband had not been killed yet. It seemed like the thing they were waiting for, and yet it was the thing they had heard nothing about.

The humans seemed to gloat about everything. The humans seemed to need everyone to know about their so-called achievements. It made Ginny feel sick, but she was grateful – it was her best source of news.

She glanced up at the noise outside the cell. It was rare to hear anything this deep within the castle. That had been something she had discovered recently. It was rare that anyone was actually locked down here, and rarer that she spent extended periods of time with them. But it was always quiet.

The noise grew to a violent sobbing, and Ginny strained to see through the darkness as a figure was dragged down the corridor and dropped in a heap outside the cell. One of the human guards unlocked the door and kicked the figure inside before locking the door again.

It was only now that Ginny realised it was Delphi, covered in blood and something that looked suspiciously like burns. She was whimpering quietly, but Ginny still hesitated. 

“Delphi?”

Delphi didn’t respond.

“What happened?”

Ginny could barely make out the words that Delphi choked out, but what she heard, she then tried to repeat.

“Your neck?”

Delphi nodded ever-so-slightly and Ginny moved over to her, trying to see through the mess.

Delphi’s hair was soaked through in drying blood, and Ginny vaguely recognised the dress as one that had been a light shade of blue. It was now turning brown. Delphi had burns up her wrists and, when Ginny moved her hair to see what had happened, she nearly retched.

Someone had placed a collar, likely an iron one, around Delphi’s neck. While Ginny could see a little catch that made it quite easy to take off, Delphi was in no fit state to do so. Ginny pulled her sleeves over her hands and touched it tentatively, before unclipping it and tossing the thing away.

Delphi’s eyes opened, but she still looked as if she was in immense pain. Her neck had been covered in great, red raw, welts, and blisters. And it looked as if she was trying not to breathe.

“Delphi?” Ginny murmured. 

“My wing,” Delphi groaned. “It…they…”

“Did they burn your wing?”

“No…”

Ginny glanced over Delphi’s back, her heart missing a beat as she realised the full gravity of the situation. Delphi’s left wing was gone. Not hurt. Just missing.

Ginny took Delphi’s hand gently.

“You never betrayed us, did you?” she murmured.

“I thought…I tried…I…I failed…”

“It’s okay. Sleep. It’s going to be okay.”

Well that was a lie.

Delphi shook her head ever so slightly, but her eyes drifted closed and Ginny felt the grip on her hand loosen further.

* * *

“How do you think we should do this?” Albus hissed, glancing at his siblings and fiancé.

“Not by talking,” James hissed back. “Not until we’re up in the air.”

“If we just fly over the border, they’ll shoot us down,” Scorpius took Albus’ hand. “Lily, you’re good with concealment charms.”

“I don’t know if I can cover four of us. And it might exhaust me.”

“That doesn’t matter if we get across. Once we’re safe, you can rest for as long as you need, or we can carry you if you drop out the sky.”

Albus looked out through the hedgerow again. It was two hundred metres at most. They could make it that far. They could make it across the border and they would be safe.

“Take my hand,” Lily muttered. “Let’s do this.”

“If the charm fails,” Albus said, “keep flying. Lily, I can catch you.”

Lily nodded and Albus took her hand. Scorpius took his and James took Lily’s other hand. A couple of seconds later, the only indication Albus had that any of them were still there was the fact that he could feel them. He stood with Lily, opening his wings and starting to take himself into the air. He could feel the others doing the same, all moving more slowly than they were accustomed to so that they would stay together. And then they started to fly towards the border.

What followed were some of the most nerve-wracking minutes of Albus’ life. He kept moving forward, almost afraid to look back in case the charms had worn off. If the charms did wear off, they wouldn’t make it. Or not all of them would.

It didn’t do much when he tried to shake the thought, so Albus just kept flying, kept breathing, until he felt Scorpius start to descend beside him. He followed, leading Lily and James, and the three of them landed at the edge of a field. Albus glanced back. They were past the fence. They were past the border. They were safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, again, Sorry this is late. That's probably gonna become a thing. Chapter will go up when I can be arsed.  
> Thanks for reading.  
> Kudos and comments much appreciated  
> Twitter: @evie_adams273


	7. Calm In the Face of Chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No trigger warnings  
> There is now no schedule for posting this. I'll put up a new chapter when I'm not feeling depressed. : ))

As soon as the concealment charm was gone, Albus threw his arms around Scorpius, breathing in deeply and burying his face in his fiancé’s shoulder. Scorpius held onto him, rocking back and forth slightly. He knew what Albus’ behaviour meant. Of course he did. He had always known.

Albus didn’t believe in soulmates, but at the same time, he felt as if this was the closest he could imagine to it. The two of them seemed so completely in tune with one another. They could always tell when the other was off, could normally make a fair stab at what was bothering the other. They just fitted.

Albus wanted to feel some relief at being in a safe place, wanted to feel something positive, but he didn’t. He just felt scared. Scared for his family, and for Delphi, and for every fairie still trapped within the city walls.

He looked back at his siblings, who were talking quietly, and caught Lily’s eye. She nodded and he let go of Scorpius, though he continued to hold his hand.

“Where now?” Albus murmured. 

“That way,” Scorpius pointed. “The Capital is to the East of the mountains. It’s a couple of hours flight, maybe less.”

James looked at Lily. “Are you okay to fly that far?”

Lily half-glared at him. “I’ll be fine.”

“Let us know if you get tired. We can carry you.”

“James, I’ll be fine.”

James nodded, and Albus glanced around at the group once more as he took off into the air. Scorpius turned a few times in the air, and then he soared off in one direction. Albus followed him and, despite himself, he smiled as Scorpius looped in the air a few times. He looked happy. That meant the world.

They flew for hours. Or it felt like hours. Albus just kept beating his wings and kept onwards. They were playing for time. They didn’t know how long they had. They just had to keep going and hope. Or that was what Albus told himself. All while struggling to actually maintain hope.

Maybe he should have talked to Scorpius about how he was actually feeling. There was only so far the apparent psychic-ness could take them. He hadn’t. He’d just bottled it all up. But he was regretting that decision now. He’d been snappy. He’d been irritable. And he’d refused to say anything.

He hated himself for that. More than he already did. He hated his inability to talk and actually confront how he was feeling. There was probably a reason for it. He didn’t want to delve into it. Certainly not when he was flying.

He started to count his wing-beats. Up and down and up and down until it was the only thing he was thinking about, until his head had cleared of all the worry and fear. Until the now-familiar sight of the Capitol appeared in the distance.

Albus smiled.

He followed Scorpius in the descent, swooping and diving with him until they landed about a hundred metres from the palace gates. Lily stumbled a few feet, apparently now overcome with exhaustion, and while Albus moved to make sure she was okay, James picked her up and she relaxed in his arms. Scorpius ran towards the guards and Albus followed him, despite the aching through his entire body. He wasn’t used to flying for extended periods of time like that. He knew he should have been, but he wasn’t.

“Avery!” Scorpius called up to the guards near the top of the gate.

One spotted him and, as his expression melted into one of shock, he glided down and landed next to them.

“Scor – your highness, sorry.”

“Avery, it’s me. Are you okay?”

“Everyone’s been so worried about you. We heard about the invasion – and then when you didn’t come back. His Majesty has been beside himself.”

“Where is he? I’ll go find him.”

“He’s probably in his office or the Throne Room.”

“I’ll go see him now.”

“Scorpius–”

“Has everything been okay here? Has anything happened?”

“No,” Avery shook his head. “But are you okay? Are – they?” he pointed to Lily and James, who had just arrived.

“We’re okay,” James nodded. “She’s just tired.”

Tired was an understatement – Lily had curled up and seemed to be sound asleep in James’ arms. Albus smiled at her softly as the gates opened and they walked in. Scorpius took Albus’ hand, and Albus bit his lip. This was how they had been meant to walk into this building. Together, happy, peaceful. And now the world had come crashing down.

As they got inside the palace, Scorpius’ pace sped up to an almost-run, though Albus could hardly blame him. If he’d had the opportunity to see his parents, he would have moved faster. Scorpius probably would have moved faster if it had been physically possible to do so.

Albus had a vague recollection of how the palace was laid out, and he noticed that it seemed to be getting increasingly busier as they got closer to the Throne Room. More guards. More fairies. More stares as fairies recognised Scorpius (impossible not to, given his hair).

The doors of the Throne Room were open and Scorpius all but charged through, letting go of Albus’ hand as he did so. Albus watched him lock eyes with his dad, watched the world go quiet, and watched the two of them practically collide into a hug.

Albus smiled as he watched. It was so incredibly obvious how much they loved each other, how hard they had worked to make it this far. Scorpius had once told Albus about his mother, and about how distant he’d been from his dad after losing his mother. But they’d worked to rectify that, and it had been successful. Albus could see as much.

He smiled at Scorpius again as he and his dad untangled themselves from their hug. Draco did not let go of Scorpius, keeping an arm around his shoulder. Albus walked a little closer, bowing his head respectfully as he did so, until Draco pulled him into a hug too. Albus blinked, a little surprised at the gesture, but he returned it.

It then took most of his willpower not to let the tears fall. Hugs like that, hugs from his soon be father-in-law (provided they could save themselves) meant the world.

Albus glanced back as they finished hugging, seeing James and Lily entering the room a little more slowly than he and Scorpius had. Draco beckoned them over, moving back towards a desk that seemed to be a new addition to the room. 

“We’ve been sending regular scouts to Amberfall,” Draco said, “and the last ones returned saying that Delphi had disappeared suddenly.”

“Fuck,” Albus muttered. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“Albus, you have heard about Delphi? About what she’s done?”

“It wasn’t her choice,” Albus said sharply. “She – she got caught up in everything and they forced her to ‘betray’ everyone.”

“Who told you this?”

“She did. With this memory potion thing. I’ve still got the letter. She’s not the problem here.”

“If the problem is the human army, we can’t necessarily fight that. We haven’t got the power.”

“Dad?” Scorpius glanced between Draco and Albus. 

“We can’t get involved in a war.”

“Then why are you sending scouts?”

“To assess the threat level to us.”

Albus didn’t have a response. He wanted to get angry. He wanted to scream about how much they’d risked to come here and what abandoning their people would do. But he didn’t. He stayed silent as Scorpius started to speak.

“They’re going to come here,” Scorpius said quietly. “This invasion was commanded by the descendants of the First Invaders for the purpose of trying again. They’re going to come here.”

“We have defences.”

“We can’t fight a war against an army of Fae and humans together. And they will have that. They will take their time and they will force everyone to fight, and we will lose. We need to take the fight to them first.”

Draco stopped for a moment, glancing over his papers again, as Albus held his breath. If this didn’t convince him, nothing would, and they were screwed. Maybe he would survive for longer, but everyone he cared about inside the kingdom would die.

If this didn’t convince Draco to help, Albus would go back to the city and he would fight until he either won or died. He would do it because that it what James would do, and he wouldn’t let James go alone.

“If we fall, we fall early.”

“But if we attack now,” Scorpius seemed to have a defence prepared, “then we will have support from the Fae, and they’re still slightly unstable. They are still willing to fight back. Now is our best chance.”

Silence.

Albus held his breath, biting his lip. Whatever happened, he had to save Delphi. He had to help Delphi. And his parents. And whoever else he could help. He had to do that.

“Okay,” Draco nodded. “Three legions.”

“Dad?”

“Three of our legions depart at first light. In the meantime, the four of you rest. James, Albus, Lily, find some armour if you intend to fight.”

Albus nodded, glancing at James, who looked visibly relieved. He set Lily down on the floor, given that she was still half-asleep, and shook her shoulder gently. Albus turned back to Scorpius, who smiled at him. 

“We can do this,” he whispered. “We are going to do this, Albus.”

“I know,” Albus nodded back. “I trust you. I trust this.”

“We should find you some armour. There’ll be something that fits you.”

Albus nodded again, smiling, and he took Scorpius’ hand. He did trust that everything would be okay. He’d trained with Scorpius before. He knew how brilliant their fighting style and skills were. If they had the element of surprise and the support of the Fae inside the city, they would win. They could win.

* * *

After the visit to the armoury to sort Albus out, they made their way back to Scorpius’ room. Albus had been inside a few times, but he had never actually slept in there. In an official setting, the two still had to keep their relationship in its early stages. At least until they were married. For some stupid traditional reason. It wasn’t important now.

Scorpius flopped down on the bed, pulling Albus with him and wrapping his wings around them both. Albus tucked his head into Scorpius’ shoulder, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply. This was the calm before the storm. And Albus was scared. As much as he knew this would be okay, he was still scared for what was coming.

It would be a battle. They wouldn’t all survive. There would be more casualties. And even after they were safe, there would the question of whether or not his family would be. Or anyone he cared about. Whatever happened, if it came to it, he would lay down his life for the fairies he loved. If it came to it. 

“Albie,” Scorpius murmured. “It’s going to be okay, you know that.”

“It’s a battle,” Albus muttered. “There will be deaths.”

“Not many. And everyone will be okay.”

“If someone comes for me,” Albus closed his eyes, “if I am the one in danger, don’t jump in front. If someone kills me, don’t try and save me by getting yourself killed.”

“That won’t happen. And you can’t ask me to not try and save my fiancé.”

“Please, Scorpius.”

“We’ll survive. We’ll both survive. And it will be okay.”

Albus nodded, trying to convince himself to believe. Something about positive affirmations and making himself believe a thing, even when it wasn’t true. He wanted to believe Scorpius. He truly, truly did. But he’d heard too many stories of the wars in previous lifetimes to be entirely comfortable.

He felt Scorpius move slightly at a knock on the door, and Albus stood up instinctively, settling on the carpet before Scorpius called a come in. Draco entered, smiling at both of them, and he closed the door behind him.

“We’re departing at first light,” he started to speak quietly. “Albus, your sister has agreed to help us conceal the legions. She and James are staying a few rooms away. Do you want me to show you where?”

“Albus is staying here,” Scorpius said firmly, before Albus could say anything. 

“Scorpius, there are traditions.”

“Does anyone actually care about them?”

“I know they don’t, but we still need to uphold them.”

“Albus and I have been sleeping in the same bed for two weeks. Nothing’s happened. We’ve just been in the same bed.”

Albus bit his lip, looking at the floor as he caught the beginning of a hundred emotions on Draco’s face. Despite Scorpius being incredibly timid and anxious at times, there were odd occasions when he suddenly gained the ability to snap.

“Okay,” Draco said. “Okay. Albus can stay in here.”

“Thank you, dad.”

Draco nodded, before walking away, closing the door behind him. Albus stood up, resettling on the bed and wrapping his arms around Scorpius again. 

“I love you,” he whispered. “More than anything else in the world.”

“I love you, too,” Scorpius smiled. “And we’re going to be okay. We’ll find your family. We’ll get rid of the humans.”

Albus nodded, not sure what to say. He was exhausted. He hadn’t been sleeping brilliantly, but he needed to now. He hoped that he would. He hoped that, knowing he was safe and knowing that his family would soon be safe, would mean that he would sleep well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE TRY AND HELP THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT IN WHATEVER WAYS YOU CAN. I DON'T GET POLITICAL ON HERE OFTEN BUT THIS IS NOT A SITUATION WHERE ANYONE CAN TURN AROUND AND PRETEND IT ISN'T THERE. SIGN PETITIONS. DONATE. ATTEND PROTESTS AND DEMONSTRATIONS IF YOU ARE ABLE TO.  
> -  
> There's no posting schedule anymore. I'll post if I can be arsed. If anyone wants the next chapter faster please feel free to DM me to remind me to post. I might forget.  
> Thanks for reading  
> Kudos and comments much appreciated  
> Twitter: @evie_adams273


	8. When There Is No Right Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again folks. Apparently I put messages here too. Love you all. You guys are the best and you're loved and special and please drop me a message if you ever need some support. I'm in no way qualified but i'll do my best.
> 
> Trigger warning: injuries, death, killing, battle

Everything hurt. Everything had hurt for longer than Delphi could remember. The majority of her body didn’t seem to know what an absence of pain, physical or emotional, felt like anymore. She was all too aware that, even if the physical pain stopped, even if she managed to find something to heal her back, she couldn’t bring her wing back. She couldn’t ever fly again.

She didn’t know how long she had been lying on the floor. Ginny had stayed by her side most of the time, though had occasionally moved somewhere that Delphi couldn’t see. She could barely move.

Sometimes, Ginny would attempt to get her to eat something, but moving often hurt so much that it was all she could do to keep breathing. Between the lack of food and the increase in pain, she began to drift out of consciousness more. Over time, when awake enough to register anything, she felt her entire body getting clammy and cold, on top of an already present feeling of nausea. She suspected that, had she eaten anything, she would probably have vomited it up.

The throbbing of the burns on her wrists and neck did eventually become something that she could shut out, just about. It was bearable. However, the pain her back was in, combined with the fact that the physical pain was a constant emotional reminder, was not. You could heal wing injuries. You could heal burns and tears and, for her, missing feathers. But you couldn’t bring back missing wings.

She knew that she couldn’t just give up, because Albus needed her, and because there were other things in her life. When she had still been well enough to rationalise with herself, she had tried to remind herself that there was more in her life than just flying. She couldn’t anymore, so she would have to find something else that brought her joy and freedom. She couldn’t even think properly. Every thought in her mind was clouded by pain or this strange fog.

Ginny had said, once or twice (maybe more – she might have missed it), that they would survive. That they would be okay. Delphi hadn’t known then whether or not to believe her, and she didn’t have the mental capacity to think about it anymore. Eventually, it would all be over. It didn’t really matter how it ended now. It would end. Either with death or with life. It didn’t matter which.

At first, Delphi had been in too much pain to move from where she lay, or tuck her wing away, and now she didn’t have the energy to move. So she just stayed, lying, her remaining wing covering the majority of her body like a blanket.

Eventually it would end. She had to promise herself that. She would die, or she would get out. But if she did, she didn’t know what sort of life, if any would be waiting for her.

* * *

Albus dove into an alcove, leaning against the wall and staring up at the ceiling. Scorpius joined him a moment later, sword still raised and covered in blood. It felt like a mistake. Coming into this battle felt like a major mistake, but he knew he had to keep going. They were nearly there.

He hadn’t fought like this before. Training, while manic at times, had still always been within parameters. And while he had known a battle wouldn’t have that he had thought it would be a little calmer than this. This was madness. This was hell. But if he found his family, it would be okay.

“You all right?” Scorpius glanced back at him. “We can take a minute if you need to.”

“We need to keep going.”

“Albus, you’re really pale. Take a minute. I’ll keep watch.”

Albus nodded, leaning his head back against the wall. Cold. It was cold. He could ground himself. He could ground himself and keep going. They were winning. There was no doubt about that. As predicted, any of the civilians who had been able to fight had come to fight. They far outnumbered the humans, and the humans couldn’t match the level of fighting. The question had really become about the cost.

They had passed so many bodies, human and Fae alike. They weren’t even fighting for land or freedom anymore. They were fighting for their lives and if they lost then it was over. And there was so much blood. So much that Albus couldn’t tell what was new and what was from the original invasion.

He turned his head as he felt the bile rising in his throat, grateful that he had done so when, half a second later, he vomited all over the floor, spitting out the last bits in an attempt to get rid of the taste. Scorpius looked at him, silently asking if he was okay, and he nodded back. He didn’t want to concentrate on it. It was only natural. They were surrounded by gore. Being sick was a natural reaction.

He straightened up, nodding again at Scorpius and he raised his sword. Scorpius smiled softly, and together, they emerged back into the corridor.

It took a few more minutes to reach the dungeons, given that Albus was now moving more slowly. He felt sick. It was starting to get a lot quieter, but that just made him feel more uneasy. Scorpius never faltered, however, only becoming more defensive as Albus slowed.

Eventually, they did reach the staircase to the dungeon, and they edged down it. Albus flinched at every stray sound, every possibility that they weren’t alone. They were so close now. So very, very close.

Two guards stood at the bottom of the stairs, both with their swords raised, both somewhat wary of their surroundings. As they locked eyes with Albus and Scorpius, and Albus took a split-second to prepare before running at them, they backed away, dropping their weapons. Albus stopped himself. 

“Are you guarding the cells?”

“We are,” one of the guards said, though his voice was noticeably shaking.

“Let us past,” Scorpius said, raising his sword.

The guards nodded, stepping out of the way. Albus kept his sword up as they walked past, keeping a firm eye on the humans.

“Why are you letting us in?”

“You’re winning and this isn’t what we signed up for. We just want to make it home alive. Please.” 

“Are the royal family here?” Scorpius asked. 

“Yes. The King and Queen are here. And Delphini. They’re down there.”

“Give us your weapons,” Scorpius said, “and then show us.”

The guards obliged quickly, almost throwing their swords at Albus and Scorpius. Albus took one; Scorpius took the other. And then they followed the guards up the corridor.

Albus hadn’t been down this far much before. He hadn’t spent much time in the dungeons. It was a rare occasion that many fairies were there at all. There was a city jail for minor crimes, and it was rare that crime was anything other than that. The walls seemed to be covered in cobwebs, and the air was filled with a thick, musty smell. And silence. Everything was completely silent.

The guards almost ran down the corridor, towards the one light, and Albus followed. He almost didn’t want to hope. He didn’t want to believe them, only to find out it was a trap. But he couldn’t help it. His parents were down here. If they weren’t dead, they were here. And if they were dead, their heads would have been on spikes on the gates. So they were still alive.

When they reached the cell, Albus felt his knees go weak again. His parents, and Delphi, were all inside the cell, sat in separate corners. His mum looked up, her mouth falling open as the guards fumbled with the keys, unlocking the door and stepping aside to allow Albus to drop everything and run to his parents.

By the time he was hugging his mum, his dad had reached them, wrapping his arms around the both of them. Albus forced himself to take several deep breaths. They had made it this far. They would make it the rest of the way. It would be okay.

His mum was covered in dirt and she had several healing cuts on her face. She had lost weight, and there was something almost hollow about her smile. But she was alive. That was what mattered. She was still alive. His dad was still alive. And Delphi…

Delphi lay in the corner, unmoving, covered in dirt and what looked like blood. One of her wings covered her face, like a blanket, and Albus couldn’t see the other. He turned away. He needed to explain what was going on first. He needed to take things logically.

“Draco’s here,” he said quietly. “Bayscar’s army are fighting. Upstairs.”

“Where are Lily and James?”

“Lily helped conceal us on the way in. She was recovering on the outside of the city. I don’t know where she is now. James is fighting. He’s trying to get to the Throne Room.”

“Okay,” his mum nodded. “Okay.”

“Do you want to fight?” Albus glanced between them. “We’ve got spare swords and you’d be most use upstairs once this is over.”

“We can’t. Delphi’s injured. We can’t leave her.”

“We can stay with her,” Scorpius said. “We can protect her, and Albus, you need to rest.”

Albus bit his lip. He didn’t necessarily want to admit that he couldn’t stomach the thing he’d trained for every week for almost seventy years. But he knew his pride was less important that what was going on. So he nodded, and his mum wrapped her arms around him again.

Then, she stood up, moving to a pile of armour in the corner, and she and Albus’ dad started to pull it on. They had been fighting when the city had fallen. They had been there.

Albus turned back to Delphi, looking at her and trying to work out what to do. One of the guards appeared at his side.

“She tried to spy for the fairies,” he explained. “She got caught.”

“What did they do to her?” Albus swallowed. 

“They…” the guard paused. “They cut her wing – off. They cut her wing off. Most of us were there. They made it into a spectacle. It was awful.”

Albus gagged. If he hadn’t already emptied his stomach of the little he’d eaten, he would have vomited again. He couldn’t fathom how much pain she must have been in, and would still be in. Her wing. Her wing was gone. 

“We’ve been trying to sneak in medicine,” the guard continued. “Pain relief. Burn salves. But she came down with a bad infection and hasn’t really eaten since.”

“How long?”

“Seven or eight days?”

Albus nodded, sitting down beside Delphi. He would have taken her hand, would have put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she was either covered in blood or burns or both. And he didn’t want to cause her more pain.

So he sat beside her, leaning on Scorpius’ shoulder as he sat beside him. When his parents nodded their goodbyes and hurried away, he watched them leave. Scorpius stood up, picking up his sword again and moving to the edge of the cell to keep watch. And the minutes began to pass. It was a waiting game now. When it was over, someone would find them. Either his family, or a human. To kill them.

If they lost, two kingdoms fell. If they lost, everyone that Albus cared about died. Every single fairie. He knew his sister would be within the city walls now. She would not have stayed outside for longer than completely necessary. She would be fighting. And she would be fighting formidably.

This had been a mistake. All of this had been a mistake. Maybe, maybe, if they lost, the humans could be persuaded to spare Scorpius. If Scorpius survived, maybe Albus could die knowing there was still some good in the world. Some tiny, almost invisible piece of good.

“Albie,” Scorpius said softly; Albus looked up. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to survive.”

“You can read my mind, can’t you?” Albus smiled a little. 

“Maybe,” Scorpius looked away, a smiling curling at the edge of his lips. “Or maybe I just love you and am strangely in tune with your facial expressions.”

“I love you, too.”

“Touching sentiment,” a voice echoed down the corridor. “Truly, a beautiful sentiment to echo as you die.”

Albus leapt to his feet, seizing his sword and moving to Scorpius’ side. It didn’t matter who the intruder was. All that mattered was keeping Delphi safe. The guards, despite having no weapons, seemed to have a similar idea. They had moved in front. They were standing in front of Albus, Scorpius and Delphi, for reasons Albus still could not fathom.

The figure appeared in the half-light, and Albus instantly recognised him as the human king, from Delphi’s memory potion. He glanced at the guards, raising his eyebrows.

“Traitors? We have traitors guarding our dungeons?”

“They’re not our dungeons,” one of the guards said, his voice somehow not shaking. “And none of us volunteered for this slaughter. On either side.”

Both guards flinched as the king drew his sword, directing it towards them. Albus raised his own, stepping forward, but he couldn’t see a way to get directly between them without getting himself killed. And then his feet seemed to get stuck to the floor as the king advanced on the guards, raising his sword further. He was going to kill them. He was going to kill them and Albus couldn’t stop them.

No. No. He could. He could force himself to move. He could actually get involved and defend the fairies who had cared for his family. But the terror kept him still. At least, it did, until he heard a groan of pain from behind him, and the human flew across the corridor, smashing into the back wall.

Albus made eye-contact with the guards, nodding, and they turned and ran. Albus glanced back at the king, who had already found the strength to stand again, and was walking towards them, albeit a little slower than before. 

“Delphi,” he laughed. “I’d forgotten you were down here. And I’m a little surprised you are still – here.”

“You,” Albus stared at him. “You did this!”

“I certainly did,” the king smirked. “All thanks to your dear friend and her own stupidity.”

“You’re a monster.”

“Correct. Now step aside, or let me stab you. Either way, you die.”

“You’re not killing her,” Albus stepped forward again. “You’re not killing any of us.”

“Well, I need to kill you,” the king stopped, “you’re the heir. And then I’ll kill him and take that kingdom too. And she’s going to die anyway. I’ll just put her out of her misery.”

“I’m not the heir.”

“You are now.”

No. No. He couldn’t be the heir. If he was the heir, that meant, that meant…No. James couldn’t be – gone. James couldn’t be – James couldn’t be dead. Albus looked at the king again; he was nodding and smiling nastily.

Albus raised his sword.

And then he charged.

Despite everything, despite the exhaustion and the fear and the weak mess that he was, Albus found the strength to fight with everything he had. He was fighting for Delphi, for Scorpius, to avenge James, and to save his loved ones. Those that he could save.

If he ended this, if he won this fight, it would all end. The king was the one who had wanted this. When he died, it would all end.

When he died…

Albus was fighting for his life. For his life, and for Scorpius’, and for Delphi, and for James. He was fighting to protect the fairies of the kingdom he held so dear. He was fighting to protect his fiancé’s kingdom. He was fighting to save the entire Fae world. He couldn’t lose.

He took a risk.

He flared his wings, taking off into the air. The wingbeats threw the air at the king, and he was forced to stumble back, despite his strength. Albus kept directing the force at him, over and over and over, until he had him backed into a corner, and then he landed again, raising his sword properly.

He had to end this. He had to kill him. It was the right thing to do. In this strange circumstance, killing was right.

The king was laughing. Like he knew what was coming. Like he could see the thoughts in Albus’ head. He was now bleeding in several places, though none of them were fatal wounds. Albus went for those spots subconsciously. He had spent so long refusing to kill that every part of his mind was trained to it.

But he had to change that now. So he took a deep breath. And he closed his eyes.

And he thrust his sword into the king’s head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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> =  
> and now the fic tries to resolve something? Idk It's a mess I rewrote half of that chapter I'm gonna have to next chapter wahey (it's middle of the night if you can't tell)  
> Thanks for reading  
> Kudos and comments much appreciated  
> Twitter: @evie_adams273


	9. End Of The Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: injury, post trauma

Albus had been sick again by the time the guards came back, both staring at the body on the other side of the corridor. They came immediately to Albus, Scorpius and Delphi, and Albus just looked at them for a moment. None of it felt real. There part in it may have been over, but then again, it may have just been the beginning. And so much had already been lost. It wouldn’t just go back. Nothing would just go back. 

“We need to go upstairs,” he croaked. “Delphi needs a healer.”

“They’re still fighting.”

“Can you tell them? Tell them the king is dead. Will they stop?”

“Maybe. If there was amnesty.”

“I can’t promise amnesty.”

“Fair trials, then. Taking into account that most didn’t come here by choice.”

Albus glanced at Scorpius, and when Scorpius nodded, he reached into the enchanted pocket in his armour pulled out a ring. It was one he normally wore to denote his role, but he’d had to take it off for battle.

“Take this,” he handed it to a guard. “Find someone with some rank and show them this. Tell them you surrender. Spread the word among your lot too.”

The guards nodded, standing up and starting to walk away. Albus sat back against the wall. They had to get Delphi out, as quickly as possible. For her benefit, and for his. The body was starting to fix itself in his mind. He’d killed. He’d fucking murdered someone.

And he didn’t know whether he could justify it to himself. He’d been able to in the moments leading up to it, but now, now that he had heard the pain, and seen the blood, now he didn’t know whether he could. There had to have been other ways out of this. There must have been something.

But they couldn’t have kept him prisoner. That would have been an act of war in itself. Sending him back would mean he would try again. Concealing the kingdoms meant forcing Fae to live in secret. And they couldn’t do that. One death, one death for all of this; that had to be worth it.

“Albus,” Scorpius said softly, “Albus, look at me.”

“You know what I’m thinking, don’t you,” Albus muttered, closing his eyes. 

“It was the right thing to do.”

“Was it?”

“You’ve saved hundreds of lives, Albus.”

“I killed someone.”

“You were fighting for your life.”

“There must have been something else I could have done.”

Scorpius took his hands, curling their fingers together. Albus held on, though he didn’t say anything.

“I’m not saying that there weren’t other options,” Scorpius murmured. “I’m not saying it was a good thing. But it’s happened. And it will have saved lives. We can’t bring him back. In the moment, you didn’t have time to try and consider other options. It would have gotten you killed.”

Albus nodded, meeting Scorpius’ eyes and trying to blink back some of the tears. He knew Scorpius was right. He knew Scorpius would always be right because Scorpius thought about things, and spoke after thinking. He was smart. He actually considered all the factors. Albus could only ever see what was directly in front of him.

Not that it seemed to matter. His mind managed to overthink everything, regardless of how much or little there was to overthink. In this situation, however, he knew it was almost a good thing. It meant he wasn’t thinking about James. It meant he wasn’t concentrating on the fact that James was – James was gone. And he couldn’t come back. And they’d never got to say goodbye.

Lily would know by now. Their parents would know by now. And none of them would really know how to move forward, in any capacity. They would get through the next few days just following the instructions and traditions they were meant to follow after a battle or war. The traditions to honour the dead, clean everything up, and generally try and get the kingdom back on track.

All why trying to process.

Albus had heard stories about the first invasion. He’d had to learn about it when he was a child. That had been a lot longer than this, more casualties, more pain. How had anyone processed that?

He looked up as he heard more footsteps, seeing one of the guards coming back again. He came straight to the cell, placing down something that he had been carrying and rolling it out. A mat of some kind.

“It’s safe to come up,” he said as he was doing this. “I brought a stretcher for Delphi. They’ve started to set up an infirmary in the Throne Room.”

Albus nodded. Delphi had started to lift her head a little, and Albus hurried to her. She cried out a little as he and Scorpius helped her onto the stretcher, but she didn’t fight. The two of them picked up the stretcher, trying not to rock her, and followed the guard upstairs.

It took Albus most of his concentration not to let his knees buckle at the sights they passed. So many dead. So many injured. So much blood. But he had to keep walking. He had to keep walking, to save Delphi. They were so close now. Only a few more steps. A few more corridors.

Things got a little cleaner as they drew closer to the Throne Room, though there were many more fairies and people. They all moved to let Albus and Scorpius through, and some of the time, Albus remembered to thank them. Possibly. His mind was only half-focussed.

They found a place to lay Delphi, staying with her until a Healer came over to check her over. Delphi kept groaning out how she didn’t need any help and she would be fine. She kept telling them to go and help everyone else. The Healer ran her hands a few inches above all the injuries, eyes closed, and Delphi started to visibly relax. Her eyes started to droop and, by the time the Healer finished, she had fallen asleep. 

“It’s just pain relief,” the Healer explained. “We can heal the burns and make sure she’s stable now. In terms of her wing, we’ll wait for her to wake up and make sure she knows what’s going on if and when we heal that.”

Albus nodded. Delphi would be okay. Delphi would survive. He could breathe a little easier now. He stood up, still a little wobbly on his feet, and looked around. 

“Albus,” Scorpius was still at his side. “Albus, are you okay if I go and see if they need any extra Healers?”

“What? Yeah. Of course.”

“Will you be okay?”

“I – probably.”

“Go back to your room,” Scorpius said softly. “Have a wash and get some sleep. Eat something when you wake up.”

Albus nodded, embracing Scorpius once more, before watching him walk away. He knew Scorpius had given him the right advice. He couldn’t help now. He could barely stand. No one in their right mind would trust him to make a decent decision in this state. He would sleep if he went now. Despite everything, the exhaustion would be overwhelming.

He trudged upstairs, starting to peel off the armour he could carry. He didn’t know where his sword was. He’d find that later. Probably. It didn’t really matter. Why would it? Why would any of it? Their world had changed and they had no way to go back, and nothing that they could have changed, had they even had said ability. What could they have changed without interfering in every life of either the Fae or the humans.

Albus stopped as he reached the corridor with his, Lily, and James’ rooms on. He had expected to see a few fairies around, but what he actually found was enough to reach his sense of curiosity.

About seven or eight fairies, and Lily, were in James’ doorway, the door open, all looking at something. Albus tried to hurry himself over, though his pace wasn’t particularly quick. Lily looked up as he approached, a thousand questions competing for room in his mind.

“What’s – what’s going on?” he croaked. “Why is everyone there?”

“James is in there. He’s – well – he’s…”

“I know,” Albus nodded. “I heard.”

“You heard?”

“Someone told me.”

“Yeah,” Lily murmured. “You look exhausted. Get some sleep. You’ll probably be able to see him in the morning.”

“See him?” Albus paused, trying to quash any feeling of hope that he had rising in his chest.

“He’ll probably be awake.”

“I thought – the human king – the human king told me he was dead.”

Lily stopped, looking him in the eye firmly. Albus didn’t say anything else, not sure what he really could say. Lily placed her hands on his cheeks, wiping away tears he hadn’t even been aware had been falling. James. James was alive. James had survived.

“James is okay,” Lily murmured. “He’s injured, pretty badly, but they’re insistent that he’s stable and he’s going to be fine.”

Albus nodded, his eyes properly filling with tears. His brother, his big brother, was still there. Still existed. Lily smiled softly at him, putting an arm around him and guiding him towards his room. He let her. He knew she was much more alert and aware than him. So he let her take him into his room, pull off the remainder of his armour, and sponge down the few wounds he had. 

“What happened to James?” Albus’ wounds came out half-slurred in exhaustion.

“He did get captured. The king probably ordered them to kill him. For whatever reason, they didn’t.”

“Scorpius,” he mumbled, about to drop off to sleep. “Scorpius thinks James is dead.”

“I’ll tell him.”

“You need to sleep…”

“I slept before the battle. I wasn’t fighting for long. Sleep. Don’t worry about anything. I can sort it.”

* * *

Delphi felt vaguely aware of the fact that she was no longer in pain when she woke up. It had started to disappear before she had lost consciousness, certainly long enough for her to do so, and it still hadn’t returned. She didn’t open her eyes immediately, allowing her mind to get used to the buzz around her, and taking a moment to simply relax. They had won. They had won the battle and they were all going to be okay.

She was vaguely aware that she was lying on the floor, for whatever reason, and she was glad. She didn’t deserve any of this. She didn’t deserve to have survived. She didn’t deserve to have her pain gone. She deserved to be dead because she had brought all of this on them. And yet, Albus still cared about her enough to fight for her. Or maybe that had been coincidence. He had been fighting for everyone in the kingdom; she just happened to come under that bracket. Albus wasn’t the sort of fairie to betray everyone out of spite for one.

Delphi knew she would have to leave. She had known that for longer than she wanted to admit to herself. Today, she would get up and, no matter what, she would help. She would help sort and clean and fix the mess, until it was done. And then she would leave. She would walk from the city, and she would find some idea of a new life.

She opened her eyes, blinking back tears, and flinched slightly as she realised someone was sat beside her. As her vision focussed, she scrambled to sit up. Scorpius’ father, a neighbouring king, was sat beside her.

“Your majesty,” she coughed – her throat hurt. “Your–”

“Shhh,” Draco said softly. “I’m not here as the king. I’m here as a healer.”

“I don’t need any healing,” Delphi lied, lying down again. Or rather, collapsing.

“You nearly died.”

“I deserve it.”

“That doesn’t come into it. It doesn’t matter what you deserve or do not deserve. Fairie or human. Right or wrong. You’re still a being. I’m going to heal you.”

“Fine. Go ahead.”

“Your burns have already been treated. The only thing left now is your wing.”

“What about it?”

Delphi knew she was being rude. She didn’t care. She didn’t have the energy to try and be polite. Everything in her head had been a reminder of how much pain she had caused, and now it was a reminder that she had also lost one of the most important things in her life. Her wing. Her wing was gone. It almost felt as if taking both would have been easier. Both wings gone would have been decisive, final. But just losing one meant she would always have a reminder of how much she had lost and how much she had caused others to lose.

Then again, she did deserve that reminder.

“You know,” Draco said softly, apparently unfazed by her hostility, “that there isn’t a way to bring your wing back.”

“I know.”

“Are you happy for me to seal the wound properly?”

“Does it mean that I can help clear this mess up, and then leave?”

“I don’t know if you will be allowed to do that, but this would give you the physical capacity to do so. With rest.”

“Then go ahead.”

Delphi turned over onto her front as prompted, closing her eyes. She could feel Draco’s magic working its way up her back, closing the final shadows of pain, so that she could breathe a little easier. She didn’t feel any less exhausted, but she knew it would be a long time before she regained the sleep and weight she had lost. If she ever did.

As it finished, Delphi sat up, facing Draco. He smiled sadly. She didn’t return it, staring at the floor. 

“Thank you,” she mumbled. “I should go. Help out.”

“Not yet. First, you are going to go back to your room and sleep. And when you’ve woken up, you’re going to eat a meal, or as much of one as you can stomach. And then you can go and help _if_ you are feeling up to it.”

Delphi nodded, allowing Draco to help her stand and guide her to Lily, before murmuring the same instructions to her. Lily wrapped her arm around Delphi, leading her upstairs. Delphi hadn’t realised exactly how weak she still was, but now she relied on Lily for constant support. As they reached the corridor of rooms, she glanced up to see James watching her, also leaning very heavily on something to support his weight, though he was using a cane. He smiled at her softly, and she tried to return it without concentrating too hard on his injuries.

“How long was I asleep?” she mumbled, her eyes drifting closed.

“A couple of days. James only got permission to be out of bed today. He’s been wanting to see you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re family and injured, and he’s worried.”

Delphi nodded, holding back some comment about how she didn’t deserve it. It wasn’t constructive. She continued to walk with Lily, starting to realise that she was having to fight back tears. She wanted to cry. She wanted to cry and scream and hit something. She wanted to throw herself into the wall until it all stopped hurting. Except it never would. There would never not be a reminder of what had happened, what she had caused.

She had caused it. It, all of it, was her fault. If she had just ignored the curiosity, or looked a little harder at her mother’s letters, she would never have gone away in the first place. The humans wouldn’t have had a way in. If they had tried to invade, they would have been unsuccessful. But they had won. Because of her. 

“I’m sorry,” she croaked. “I’m so sorry, Lily.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Lily said firmly. “Now, come on. You really need to get some sleep.”

It took about twenty minutes, but eventually, Delphi was lying down in bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to find the will to sleep. Lily had asked if she wanted someone to stay with her. Delphi had lied. She’d said no. Lily had more important places to be. And Delphi knew she would be safe.

But she couldn’t sleep. Now that she was alone, all that she could do was let the tears roll down her face. She couldn’t stop them. She didn’t want to try. What was the point? What was the point in any of the mess?

None of it would have happened if something ever-so-small had changed. If she had never existed, none of this would have happened. One meeting, one meeting not happening would have changed the fate of every person in the city, in the kingdom. In two kingdoms, from the looks of the army.

Delphi grabbed one of the pillows, shoving it in her mouth and screaming. The sound came out as more of a muffled sobbing and she let herself tumble onto the floor, curling up into a ball as she shook and screamed. Everything in her head was so loud that she barely caught the knock on her door.

“Come in,” she croaked, forcing herself to sit up.

James opened the door, and Delphi didn’t bother trying to hide the mess she had become. James smiled softly at her, hobbling over and sliding down to sit.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes.”

Delphi wrapped her arms around the pillow, burying her head in it as curling up against James as he wrapped his wings around the both of them.

“I’m scared,” she whispered, not entirely sure whether he could hear her. “I’m scared that this is all my fault.”

“You’re tired,” James murmured. “You’re beyond exhausted. Sleep. We can talk about this later.”

“Please don’t go.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Delphi nodded, pulling herself back onto the bed. She knew she needed to sleep somewhere other than the floor. She wanted to help. She had to rest. Draco was right. James came and sat beside her and she moved over so that he had room to lie down. He did so, wrapping his wings around them both again. Delphi curled up, burying her head in his shoulder.

And that was how they both fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW///  
> Is it indicative of something when a tweet makes me so scared of dying that I want to be sick and within two minutes I'm suicidal?  
> Anyway.  
> Thanks for reading  
> Kudos and comments much appreciated  
> Twitter: @evie_adams273


	10. Relief

Delphi opened her eyes upon waking up, though she didn’t move from where she was lying, still wrapped in James’ arms and wings. Despite the fact that she knew she was older than him, by a good few years, at this moment he felt a little like her older brother. It felt like he put up walls to keep out everyone. She knew that he had problems, but he never said anything. And she never knew how to ask more than how he was. But somehow, she could still believe that they were close. And now she had the chance to actually get closer.

Except that wouldn’t happen because she was going to leave.

She doubted she would have a snowballs chance in hell at fixing things. There was never going to be a moment where she had done enough to feel comfortable in staying.

There could be a compromise. She didn’t have to walk away. She could move out of the castle. She could help. She could fix the damage she had caused if it was fixable (though not much would be). And it would be better for everyone.

If she just walked away, if she just shut herself out, then no one benefitted. Nothing would ever improve. Even if it satisfied any anger, that feeling would be temporary. No one would really have any closure. No. Staying would be better for everyone.

She sat up, jumping slightly as she saw Albus sat on the other side of the room, watching them. 

“Morning,” she mumbled, leaning back against the bedframe. “Are you okay?”

“Afternoon,” Albus smiled. “And yes, I’m okay. How are you feeling?”

“I – I’m a bit hungry.”

“Good thing I brought breakfast.”

Albus stood, picking up a tray that had been sat beside him, and walked over to the bed. He settled on the end of it, passing Delphi one of the plates. She took it, swallowing a few times before her first bite. She could do this. She could eat. A small step. It was a small step forward. 

“How are your parents?” she asked quietly.

“They’re okay. Minor injuries, but they’re both helping out downstairs. So’s Scorpius’ dad.”

“He came to help?”

“He brought an army – part of one. Took a bit of persuasion, but he did.”

Delphi nodded, forcing herself to take another bite of the food. Albus smiled softly at her and she tried to return it.

“Can I help?”

“If you feel well enough. But only if you feel well enough. And finish some more of that food. Draco prescribed you something and you’re going to stick to it.”

Delphi nodded. “What’s going to happen to the humans?”

“Most of them are going to be trialled individually to determine motivations. If they’re like the guards who helped us – basically the ones who were trying to keep themselves alive and get home – then they can go home. As for everyone else, the remaining leaders are also being trialled and anyone who it’s decided is responsible will face something chosen by mum and dad. I haven’t really been involved.”

Delphi nodded again, turning her attention back to the meal. About half an hour later, she was dressed and walking through the castle. She couldn’t make eye-contact with anyone, staring at the floor and almost wishing, at times, that it would swallow her. When she reached the Throne Room, she hung near the door until the Head Healer was not occupied, and then she walked forward a little.

“Could I help?” she mumbled.

“How are you feeling?” the Healer barely glanced at her.

“I’m feeling okay. Tired, but I need to – do – something.”

“Well, we’re okay here,” the Healer smiled softly, “but I know they still need assistance in the rest of the city.”

“Thank you.”

Delphi hurried away, her pace slowing a little as she realised that the last time she had been out in the city had been when she had attacked, and nearly killed, Mitra. She would probably be unwelcome. But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t still try.

This was something she wanted to do. She wanted to help others, even if they hurt her. Because she had hurt them and there were vendettas that would need to be paid and that was the right thing to do.

The sun was shining on the front steps as Delphi stepped out, grimacing slightly at its brightness. It was warm, misleading. It pretended that everything was fine. But Delphi tried not to concentrate on it. It wasn’t the sun’s fault. How could it be? The sun was going to shine today. That had always been the plan of the universe. It was her own actions that had made it misleading.

The guards largely ignored her as she walked through the gatehouse and out onto the open street. She kept walking, looking around for anywhere to volunteer to help, to do anything she could. The streets were full of fairies, all moving around, all going places. Some were rebuilding parts of houses; some were handing out supplies. Everyone was moving.

If Delphi had closed her eyes, the streets would have retreated to what the city had been like on a busy market day. Sounds and smells and sights of chaos.

Delphi started to move towards someone handing out supplies, pausing as she made eye-contact with someone. They glared at her, before looking away, and she stopped completely. The reaction wasn’t surprising. She wasn’t welcome. She wouldn’t be welcome anywhere. She had betrayed them all.

She kept walking, keeping her head down this time. But she didn’t pull her hood up. She didn’t want to fade into the background. She didn’t deserve anonymity. If fairies wanted to give her hell, she would let them give her hell. So she kept walking, and she kept her hood down.

Different parts of the town got busier and quieter, but every place had one thing in common – they didn’t want her involved. So she kept walking. She knew better than to try and change their opinions. Their facts and their realities were real and valid.

Eventually, she reached one of the seven market squares, and stopped. She was beginning to tire, but she still hadn’t actually done anything to help, so she wasn’t allowing herself to go back. Usually, this trip would take a few minutes. But usually she could fly.

Before, this trip would have taken a few minutes. Before, she could fly.

The square was the busiest she had seen it in a long time, but, looking around, that was hardly surprising. Most of the buildings had been damaged in some way, either by fire or because someone had smashed something. Delphi didn’t know which. She didn’t know when any of it had happened. It hadn’t occurred to her that, perhaps, the fighting had taken place throughout the city. It made sense.

The full extent of the severity became obvious when Delphi started to approach the fairies who seemed to be organising everyone and was not glared at. They didn’t look entirely happy to see her, but they didn’t turn her away. 

“Can I help?” she asked, forcing some sort of strength into her voice. 

“Are you injured?”

“Yes, but if there’s anything I can do…”

Delphi trailed off as someone whispered something to the fairie she was talking to. They turned back to respond, and Delphi looked at the floor. She still wasn’t welcome. And yet again, she couldn’t blame them.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, starting to turn away.

“Wait. There is something. There’s a child looking for his mother, but he’s not from here and we can’t spare anyone.”

“I can take him,” Delphi nodded. “If that’s okay.”

“It should be. Keep to the main streets.”

Delphi nodded again, waiting as the second fairie disappeared for a moment, before coming back with a child. He stopped as he saw Delphi, before smiling slightly. Delphi didn’t understand, but she returned it. 

“Hello,” she said softly.

“Hello.”

“You’re looking for your mother?”

“Yes. She – they – they took her – and I was looking for her – but I got lost. I don’t know where I am – or how to – find – her – I want to go home…”

“Okay,” Delphi nodded, moving to crouch down beside him. “It’s going to be okay. I can help you find home, and we can try and find your mother.”

“You promise?”

“I’ll do my very, very best.”

The child nodded, swallowing, and Delphi smiled again. Calm. She had to stay calm. For him. For herself. For everyone involved. 

“What’s your name?” she murmured. 

“Owain.”

“That’s a lovely name. I’m Delphi.”

Owain nodded and Delphi tried to work out what to say next. Social interaction. It wasn’t something she was brilliant at. Especially not with children. She had a habit of keeping herself shut away from everyone else when she didn’t feel up to talking. Which was a lot. 

“Where do you live?” she asked quietly. “Are there any landmarks around there? I might know them.”

“Is she not at the castle?”

“I think everyone the humans captured has been released unless they were hurt. If we go to your house first, then we can look at the castle if she’s not there.”

Owain nodded again. “I live near the river,” he mumbled. “Near one of the markets.”

“Okay. Well, if we find the river, we can walk along it until we find where you live.”

“Okay,” Owain mumbled. “We will – we will find her?”

“I’ll do everything I can,” Delphi bit her lip.

Finding this fairie wasn’t a promise that she could make. She didn’t know who they were looking for. If this fairie had been taken after she had been discovered, there was no guarantee that she was still alive. Delphi had done her best to keep everyone alive, but she had no idea how much of it had actually worked.

If Owain’s mother was dead, she didn’t know what she would do. She didn’t know how she would explain it. She didn’t know how to even consider that concept herself.

When she had lost her mother, she had been there in the moments it had happened. She had known, for weeks, beforehand, that it was coming. She’d had time to understand it, even if she hadn’t come to terms with it.

This was different, too wildly different, to compare the two. If the worst had happened, Delphi knew there was nothing she could say, nothing that could make the situation evenly minutely better. So she just had to pray that the worst had not happened.

She stood up, letting Owain take her hand, and started to walk in the direction of the river. There was a path they could take, busy enough to be considered a main street, and quiet enough to stop Delphi being entirely on edge. She wanted to be able to actually look after Owain, not have to worry about herself.

The turn down a quieter road seemed to be the right decision because, as soon as it got a little bit calmer, Owain seemed to perk up a little. He still looked scared, but he seemed to relax ever-so-slightly.

“You don’t like loud noise either?” Delphi said.

“It’s – it’s very busy. It’s a lot.”

“I know. This path should be a bit quieter. When we get there.”

They continued in silence for a while, Owain still holding Delphi’s hand tightly. Delphi could only imagine what he’d been through, what any of them had been through. Except she didn’t want to think about it, or she couldn’t. Not now. Not when she needed to stay calm and look after Owain. Someone had trusted her. She wouldn’t throw that away.

As they reached the river path, Owain seemed to light up a little. He pulled Delphi in a specific direction, and Delphi went with him. She didn’t force him to talk or explain himself. It was easier to trust him. For some reason, it was very easy. Maybe any sense of danger had just been erased now that her idea of danger seemed to equate to multiple imminent deaths.

The river didn’t appear to have been the sight of many battles. The only places of destruction were near bridges and given the Fae ability to fly, those were few and far between.

Delphi wondered if she was alone. It hadn’t previously occurred to her that she might not be the only fairie with one wing. She had heard the stories of humans attacking fairies, taking their wings to sell, but the fairies had never survived. They had always been dead to begin with. Surely there had to be other fairies missing wings, missing one wing.

She shook the thought. She could think about that later. For now, she had to look after Owain. She had to find his mother. And if she couldn’t, she had to keep looking.

“It’s this way,” Owain pulled on her hand suddenly. “My house is up here.”

Delphi nodded and followed him as he almost ran up another small path, emerging in a small square that seemed no less busy than every other square in the city. Owain kept staring around, his gaze flitting from fairie to fairie. Delphi continued holding his hand, because he didn’t let go, while muttering some sort of silent prayer that they would be successful. She had never prayed to anything or anyone before. It felt futile. Still, it was something.

If they didn’t find her here, they could still check her house, and then they could try the castle. There were multiple options. It would be okay. It had to be okay.

Delphi felt her breath quicken as a fairie drew closer to them, scowling unpleasantly. He seemed angry, and Delphi couldn’t blame him, but she felt threatened. And where she would normally be able to remain civil, it wasn’t just about her safety now.

“Can I help you?” she smiled.

“You should leave.”

“Excuse me?”

“You should leave before you get hurt.”

“Are you trying to warn me for my own safety or do you want me gone?”

“You’re a traitorous bitch. We all know that. I think you should leave before we have time to come after you. Because they will come after you. And you can’t hide in that castle forever.”

“I don’t intend to hide,” Delphi looked the male in the eye. “I will face the consequences of my actions, but for now, I’m afraid I have to go. I would love to discuss my motives and the truth of what happened, but I am looking for someone.”

“You can’t hide behind someone else for the rest of your miserable existence.” Silence. “Go on, then. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

As they walked away, Delphi had to force herself to take several deep breaths. She didn’t want to let on what effect the words had had on her, but she couldn’t just ignore the fact that they had had an effect. She couldn’t shut it out. But she needed to. Temporarily. She could put her fear on hold.

She followed Owain as they walked through street after street after street, watching him look around constantly. She could see the hope starting to die in his eyes, the fear beginning to overwhelm him, and she squeezed his hand in an attempt at reassurance.

They rounded another corner, and Owain stopped, staring at a fairie a few metres away. He let go of Delphi’s hand as the two made eye-contact, sprinting to her and jumping into her arms. Delphi watched them, smiling softly. It was okay. This small part of her existence, of someone’s existence, was okay.

She started to turn to walk away. She knew she wasn’t welcome. She had done what she had been asked to. She needed to keep helping. And she couldn’t let herself be scared by threats that, ultimately, she deserved.

“Wait,” Owain’s mother called. “Please, wait.”

Delphi turned back, unsure of whether she should meet the fairie’s eyes.

“Thank you,” Owain’s mother. “Thank you so much.”

“I just want to help,” Delphi shrugged. “I’m – I’m sorry.”

“You’re brave.”

“Please don’t think that.”

“I don’t think that. I know that. We all know that.”

Delphi looked at her. “What – what do you mean?”

“We all knew that Mitra came home. And after you disappeared, they told us why. You’re brave.”

“Thank you,” Delphi felt her eyes fill with tears. “Thank you for – listening. What – what’s your name?”

“I’m Elia.”

“It was nice to meet you, Elia. I’m glad I could help you and Owain.”

“Look after yourself.”

Delphi nodded, turning away again. She walked a few paces, before stopping suddenly, her path blocked by an angry looking male. She tried to smile and keep walking, but he caught her arm, forcing her to a halt. 

“Would you mind letting me go?” she murmured. “I’m meant to be somewhere.”

“And where would that be?”

“I’d like to go and carry on helping.”

“No one’s going to let you help. You’re a traitor.”

“I didn’t want to be.”

“You still are. And there is no way I’m just going to let you walk away.”

Delphi pulled her arm, trying to get out of the male’s grip, but he moved with her. 

“Please let me go,” Delphi said quietly. 

“Why should I?”

“Because I’m injured and exhausted and I feel I could be of more service alive than dead.”

“Hundreds of fairies don’t have families because of you.”

“And hundreds more still have their families because of her.”

Delphi turned, staring in shock at the familiarity of the voice. And, sure enough, Mitra was stood a few metres away, apparently quite calm. They smiled at Delphi, who tried to return it, though she was still incredibly aware that she was not out of danger.

“She didn’t save anyone.”

“She saved my daughter. She saved my friend’s son. And I keep hearing stories of other children she has saved. So if you would be happy enough to take your hands off her and leave.”

The male scowled and, for a moment, Delphi didn’t think he was going to let go. But he did, walking away slowly. Delphi let out a breath, walking towards Mitra and hugging her. She wasn’t entirely sure about the latter part, but Mitra seemed very keen to embrace her, so she did. It was strangely comforting, and Delphi hadn’t realised how much she’d needed it. The fact that Mitra still knew her, trusted her, meant more than she could really articulate. 

“Come to my house,” Mitra murmured. “You look like you need to sit down for a bit.”

“I’m okay,” Delphi said. “I should go and carry on helping.”

“How long have you been on your feet?”

“A couple of hours? Maybe longer?”

“Given what happened, you need to rest regularly. Come on. Fifteen minutes.”

“Okay,” Delphi nodded. “But can you explain – what you said?”

Mitra nodded before she led Delphi through several increasingly small streets, stopping outside a house with a couple of flowerpots by the door. Delphi smiled slightly. She followed Mitra inside, immediately becoming more cautious and unsure of herself. 

“Come through to the kitchen,” Mitra beckoned her forward again. “And Delphi?”

“Yeah?”

“You are welcome here.”

Delphi nodded, biting her lip as she followed Mitra again. The kitchen was reasonably small, a fireplace and stove in one corner, a table opposite it. Mitra motioned Delphi to sit down at it, and she did so, knotting her fingers together in an attempt to relieve the anxiety building in her chest.

“How have you been?” she asked quietly.

“I’ve been okay,” Mitra sat down opposite her. “Getting out wasn’t too much of a problem when I know the lower levels of the castle and everyone was distracted.”

“How long did you stay hidden?”

“Until the fighting started. At that point, it wasn’t worth it. And I wasn’t going to hide when I could help fairies. If we’d lost that battle, they’d have found me anyway. It was worth it.”

“Thank you,” Delphi croaked.

The silence hung between them for a few minutes, but Delphi didn’t try and break it. There were still doubts in her mind as to whether she even deserved the answers she was searching for. What if the missing wing wasn’t enough of a punishment?

After all, none of this would have happened if she hadn’t been too curious about her ancestry, something she had never really needed to know about. Gods. She had been naïve. Stupid and naïve.

She was still leaving. When all of this ended and the world had returned to some form of normal, she was going to leave. She would find somewhere quiet and peaceful and away from the rest of the population. No one needed her. She could try to set up some sort of home, even if she couldn’t fly anymore.

“You saved fairies,” Mitra said softly.

“In what universe…”

“In this one.”

Delphi stayed silent.

“You made them swear to not harm any child.”

“They upheld that?”

“They weren’t happy about it, but apparently ‘they’re not liars.’”

“Fae died.”

“More would have died if you hadn’t gotten James, Albus and Lily out first. They came back. They ended this. Gods know that saved lives.”

Delphi nodded, though she didn’t really believe it. It still didn’t feel like it had made a difference. After all, Fae had still died. Too many of them. And she was powerless to do anything because mistakes had been made and she had been selfish.

“Go home, Delphi,” Mitra looked at her. “You’re exhausted. You’re healing. You’ve done good things today. Go home.”

“I haven’t done enough.”

“News spreads fast. You nearly died. You were unconscious for days. And yet you get up and come to help anyway. You’ve done enough for one day. Go home.”

Delphi was about to fire something back, but she stopped herself. Mitra was right. She was exhausted. She did want to rest. The only reason she was reluctant was that she wanted to carry on helping others, but she couldn’t really do this. This wasn’t sustainable, whatever it was. 

“Fine,” she murmured, breathing out slowly. “I’ll go back. But I’m helping tomorrow.”

“Come down here,” Mitra smiled. “We’d be happy to have your assistance.”

Delphi tried not to let slip exactly how much this meant to her. The safety and warmth that seemed to radiate from Mitra, despite every wrong that Delphi had done. She didn’t understand. She didn’t understand how anyone could find it within themselves to even begin forgiving her. And yet, here she sat. Apparently welcome.

She nodded, mumbling something about agreeing to go home. Mitra smiled at her, not saying anything. Delphi took a deep breath, running her hand over the back of her other arm, aware that the remains of burns sat under her shirt.

The wounds had been healed, but most of them had left small scars. Or maybe that was dirt trapped underneath her skin. She didn’t know. She didn’t really want to know. Or care.

* * *

When Delphi had made it back to the castle, she wandered back to her rooms, playing with one of the bracelets on her wrist. It felt a little more normal. Just a little.

She sat down on her bed, trying not to let the thoughts fill her head. She wanted to sleep. Maybe she could sleep for long enough that, when she woke up, it would have all blown over. Not that that would ever happen.

Still, maybe that was something she could try. Sleeping through eternity. Gods. That would be beautiful. Delphi smiled as tears started to run down her face. She looked at the ceiling, lying down and grabbing a pillow from beside her. She shoved it over her mouth and started to scream.

She didn’t even know why anymore. It was purely the need to expel a certain amount of energy and it felt like this might do the trick. It didn’t. It just brought someone knocking on her door.

She stood up, unwilling to sink to the inability to walk just yet. She could fight this sinking sensation for a little longer. When she opened the door, she immediately dropped all veneer as she laid eyes on Scorpius, a book under his arm.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “Did you get hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Scorpius smiled. “How are you?”

Delphi didn’t reply.

“I just came by to let you know about some research I’m doing.”

“About what?”

“Wing prosthetics.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is definitely my least favourite chapter. It's a mess and I stopped writing it for months in the middle and the whole thing feels clunky but I'm honestly feeling too depressed right now to give a fuck. Proving a point here, I went away from editing this post only to come back at 22:30, post at least one breakdown and a fuck ton of tears.
> 
> Message to a person who will not ever see this but I need to write this anyway:
> 
> Do not tell me to not focus on my 'stresses'  
> or tell me that 'that's life'.  
> Because it's not stress. It's trauma.  
> And you didn't pick up on that. If you did you're messed up.  
> You questioned me in public, pushed me for details.   
> And I know I'm normally open, but you pushed me into the shadows   
> and now I'm doubting myself.  
> And I'm really fucking scared.  
> Who am I kidding? Today was never going to be amazing.
> 
> \--------
> 
> Thanks for reading  
> Kudos and comments appreciated  
> Twitter: @evie_adams273


	11. Epilogue

Delphi stood on the edge of the cliff, smiling widely with the feeling of her feet half-hanging over the edge. She spread her arms, her breath hitching as the wind blew her back slightly. She almost felt like she was flying, and she had a desperate, almost subconscious need to savour these moments. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have these feelings for much longer. Hopefully, she’d have something much better.

She glanced back at Albus, who was stood a few feet away, watching her with an air of concern. Delphi grinned at him, parting with the cliff edge to go to him and wrap her arms around him. He rolled his eyes as he broke free and looked out over the landscape again.

“Why are we on top of a cliff?”

“It’s a good place to fly.”

Delphi smiled again as she saw the realisation dawning on Albus’ face, and then she laughed. 

“You want to test your experimental prosthetic wing _here_?”

“Gliding is probably safer than flapping to begin with.”

When Scorpius had first mentioned the wing, Delphi had tried to quell all feelings of hope. Losing her wing destroyed her. She didn’t want to assume she would be able to fly again, only to have it all fail. But Scorpius had gone above and beyond in coming through for her. He had stayed long after the rest his kingdom had returned home. He had researched and designed and built and rebuilt. Now Delphi had a large, black, leathery wing attached to the scarred stump of her old wing. And so far, it worked. It didn’t hurt.

Fitting the wings had turned Delphi’s entire world around. Despite everything she tried, she hadn’t been able to stop herself sinking into a depression. When Scorpius started to make progress, it didn’t get immediately easier, but it did something to help her get up and start moving again.

Every day they got closer to their goal, more colours seemed to return to Delphi’s world. Or maybe just the world in general. She didn’t know. She tried to care. That, in itself, had gotten easier as things had improved. At first, when she had had no apparent task (not many in the City wanted her help, even after explanations), she had struggled to even look out the window. But things had gotten better.

“I wanted to have my first flight here,” Delphi looked at Albus. “This is where I had my first flight with my mother.”

“Ah.”

“She brought me up here and we just glided all the way down. Then she carried me back up and we did it again. And again. And again, until she said I was ready to try and flap my wings. We did that again and again and again until I could turn all the way around in the air and I started flying.”

Delphi stared out over the countryside again, blinking back tears as they formed in her eyes. She had missed coming up here. It seemed only fitting that her first flight now started at this point.

“Would you like me to come with you?” Albus asked, coming up behind her.

“That was the idea,” she chuckled. “In case it goes wrong.”

Albus rolled his eyes slightly, shaking his head. Delphi laughed again, wrapping her arms around herself one last time as she walked to the edge of the cliff. One last glance at Albus. One last smile.

She dived forwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're at the end and I can't be sentimental because I've ended up hating this. Healing 2 (still needs a name) will be finished soon, plus some one shots. We've got a Bare; A Pop Opera AU coming because of @dorianc_arts and some If/Then because of James Snyder.  
> Thanks for reading (even tho this is shit)  
> Kudos and comments much appreciated  
> Twitter: @evie_adams273


End file.
